


Wanted! Dead or Alive

by kayaahiko



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alive Portgas D. Ace, Angst, Character Death, Dressrosa Arc, Light Angst, Murder, Mystery, Portgas D. Ace Lives, Reunions, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-15 02:20:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 71,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15402810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kayaahiko/pseuds/kayaahiko
Summary: After taking Akainu's hit for his brother, Ace was sure that it was the end. That was until he woke up buried underground, in a coffin. After finding out two years have passed since his death, Ace goes in search of answers, trying to unwrap what has happened in the two years he was gone.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> :note:  
> Hey there AO3! I've finally got round to uploading this story on here! :D   
> When I started writing this, this website wasn't even around. *gasp* I've always lived for Ace revival stories, so much so I had to make one of my own. I hope you guys enjoy this, 26 chapters down, lets see how many to go :,)
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my food and my mobile. And my money. Cant forget the money.

Ace knew that he had died. It wasn't his memories of colliding into Akainu's fist or the lack of consciousness that he was now surrounded in. It was just instinct, fact almost. He could no longer feel his heart beating in his chest, could no longer command his body to move no matter how hard he tried.

And surprisingly, he was at peace with it. He didn't have any burning feeling to race back to the world of the living. He'd accepted that saving Luffy was enough, that his brother being safe was worth not seeing another day. He still had his concerns of course, the safety of his father, Marco- all of the crews wellbeing whirling in his mind. But, he was at rest now.

...Well, that's what he thought. Before he had spent  **two years in absolute darkness.**

When describing personality traits of Ace, patience is not one you would come across. He was ultimately convinced he was in hell. And he had his reasons.

The first being of course, was the identity of the blood that ran through his veins. Being the son of such a monster, he was never shown mercy in life, let alone in death. The second reason being that he wasn't exactly an angel in his life. He was a pirate. And being a pirate, you had to commit sins to survive.

But the third reason? The reason he actually  _believed_  he was in hell?

"..."

**There was only so much waiting in endless darkness that Ace could take.**

Countless times he tried to move his dead hands, struggled to open his eyes that were unable to see anymore. But what annoyed him more than anything, was he could still think.

He was awake! ... _Technically._ He could easily still recount the many precious memories he had spent with his brothers and father.

He would regularly rennact in his head the whole traumatic experience of Impel down, of _Marineford._ Of seeing his brother's face in  _total and utter pain_  as he rushed in front of him. If only his mouth would move, he could speak. Shout even!

But then that voice. The only thing that would speak to him. The only sound or being into the complete darkness that always surrounded him. The voice of reason.

_"Stop trying._ _You can't do anything about it now._ _You gave up your life,_ _you saved Luffy."_

_"So just stop trying._ _There's no point._ _You can't escape death y'know."_

_"Stop trying!_ _Everyone you brought to that execution._ _They shouldn't have been there._ _How could you let them die?"_

_"Stop trying._ _You shouldn't..._ _have even existed in the first place._ _Roger was a monster._ _You,_   _are a monster."_

_"Stop trying._ _You're dead._ _You are truly alone now."_

_"So._ _Just._ _ **Stop trying.**_ "

 

A rasped and choked voice suddenly hit the darkness. It struggled vigorously with it's words, though it was filled with so much determination, so much conviction.

Ace couldn't believe it was his own voice.

" _N-never!_ "

He didn't want to die, despite knowing that fact that he was  _already dead_. He wanted nothing more than to see his family, to continue on with the unique and truly baffling adventure they had shared. He needed to know what had happened to them, if they escaped; if they were alive.

A silence soon hovered in the air after the words left his mouth, both the Voice and Ace unable to comprehend what just happened.

 _'That was impossible right?'_ Ace had asked himself.

Expecting the Voice to respond to him, the ex-Commander inwardly twitched; though only more silence responded, leaving himself with his thoughts again.

_'Did, did I just speak?'_

Inwardly swallowing any other thought down, Ace focused all his remaining strength on the previous fact.

He had spoke. It couldn't have been his imagination.

_'B-because if I just spoke, then that means I have to breat-'_

Like being hit in the face by a blustering wave, Ace was hit with the desperation of oxygen in his throat. A tingling feeling spiraled down his inmobile arms, ones that haven't moved for years. Flinging themselves onto Ace's neck, his nails started to claw at his skin for air, as the previously lifeless chest bounced back to life.

Slowly, but surely, it started to move up and down, causing a confused yelp to whimper from Ace's lips. Thrashing his legs upwards, he was quickly met with a bellowing thud, followed by a painful hit to his leg.

Hell if he cared though, he knew this feeling. Since he'd entered this darkness, he'd been hoping- dreaming of this feeling he now felt through his whole body.

He was alive.

But that wasn't possible. He knew too well that he had died-  _the endless amount of waiting only justifying that._

Focusing his mind onto the new-found pain in his leg once more, Ace managed a small smirk to crawl onto his lips.

He  _was_ dead. That fact was true enough. But for whatever reason, he wasn't now. He didn't have one clue about how that was even possible-  _but for now_ , he would just be grateful.

Pushing all of those thoughts to the side, he continued to thrash his legs upwards (despite the bruising it was doing to his previously immobile leg), suddenly causing bits of debris to lightly fall on top of Ace's face. Flickering his eyes open, he was met with darkness.

-but not the same darkness he had been 'living' in for who knows how long.

This new darkness was hinted with a murky brown colour, causing Ace to fling his arms around to see exactly where he was. Only being able to stretch his arms out to the length of his elbows, thoughts-  _and not overly happy ones,_  crossed his mind in where he might actually be.

To confirm his suspicions, Ace focused all his energy he had onto his newly animated arm, causing a little light to flicker on the end of his finger. His eyes winced at the new light, as held the finger up, bringing light to where he actually was.

"You've got to be kidding me."

He was inside a coffin, buried underground.

* * *

Hours had past since Ace's  _recovery_  (he'd stubbornly refused to call it anything else) and not before long, he was already in a situation which he  _may or may not_  end up losing his life again.

He was stuck.  **In a hole.** _ **Underground.**_

He'd be damned if he let himself starve to death. He'd never live it down if he were to die,  _again_ , after defying the odds and waking up.

So, as his first attempt of escaping this new form of muddy, grizzly hell, he moved every possible muscle as far as he could. Attempting to hit everywhere, Ace silently begged for the ground to break above, and shine a light of hope.

Of course, the fire-thrower wasn't blessed with the fortune called  _luck_. So the action resulted in the freckled-man to be covered in countless pieces of dirt and bugs, which easily didn't help the man's already irritated mood.

After realising that hitting the ground above wouldn't solve anything, Ace thought for a brief moment, before shrugging off the first thing he could think off.

" _HEEEEEEEEEEYYYY_?!"

**Scream at the top of his voice until someone hears him.**

"IS ANYONE UP THERE!?"

He didn't particularly care how stupid he looked or sounded at this moment. His stomach was starting to growl, and after having not eaten in,  _how long has it been?-_ he was starting to get pissed. Flames began to flicker on his shoulders an-

_Wait.  
_

" _KAGERO_!"

Ace screamed out, a ray of fire bursting from his fist towards the ground above. Sadly this just again resulted in more ground falling on top of the already pissed and hungry Ace.

"Damn it!" Ace yelled, shaking his hand to rid the fire.

"It's obvious that I would have lost practice, but..."

_I'm too weak at the moment to do any damage. Maybe?_

"..."  _Me_ _h. Worth to give it a shot._

"HIKEN!"

Ace shouted again. A huge explosion trembled from above, effectively moving like the fire-thrower had hoped for. But, this time, he was not met with specks of dirt and worms as he had before. Instead, he was greeted by an avalanche of dirt to fall from above.

"Oh shi-!"

* * *

Reaching upwards, towards the sky, Ace managed to sneak his way through the crumbled dirt, using his hands, feet, elbows, his chin, anything to climb his way up. After minutes of climbing very slowly up, finally he saw his exit; a small speck of light. This tiniest bit of light shined harshly on the tip of his forehead, blinding one of his eyes. But he was too overjoyed to care.

With one last punch upwards, he lifted the ground above him, a cool breeze hitting his hand and more light shined through. Reaching, he looked around for stable place to pull himself up.

With grunts of pain he lifted himself from the grave, his body breathing heavily; eyes wincing at the light that now surrounded him. Turning around to grasp his surroundings, his eyes were met with a huge inanimate object, more in the shape of a monument.

Focusing closely at what the monument had written in the stone, his pupils went huge. "T-this is?"

_'Portgas D. Ace'_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :note:
> 
> I've finally got another chapter out! And I know it's kinda short. D:
> 
> Disclaimer: I wanna run away to the desert. It's too cold here. /wraps up in blanket and sneezes/ But that doesn't make me own One Piece.
> 
> (P.S I swear this year has gone so fast. Like one minute, It's Easter and everyone is going shit crazy for some chocolate, the next it's Christmas and everyone is going shit crazy for snow.)

_The huge monument stood in front of him._

_His hair blowing before his eyes._

_Seeing what no man should ever see.  
_

_The last statement of his life._

* * *

_'Portgas D. Ace'_

For a few moments Ace just stood there, frozen to the ground.

It was his grave.

A grave which seemed to have been standing for longer than Ace had anticipated, the signs of age wearing at the sides. It was beautifully decorated, the surroundings seemingly cared for. The grave itself wasn't overly-decorated, causing Ace to let out a weak laugh.

Though it wasn't happy expression, for the ex-Commander was barely keeping his emotions together, his mind re-capturing the moment he had died in his brother's arms. He really did break the promise _,_ the promise that he had _sworn_  to Luffy.

/ _"You've got to promise me Ace..." A tearful Luffy started, harshly gripping the edges of the straw-hat perched on his head._

_"Don't." Letting the tears fall further down his face with a wince, the straw-hatted boy gathered up most of his strength, yelling it out with his words. "Don't ever die!"_ /

He broke it. Well, he _had_  broke it.

He wasn't completely sure now.

And that seem to be the perfect time for Ace to reflect on how he was still standing.

Blinking a few times, he mumbled to himself, instinctively patting himself on the chest with a glazed look. "What the-? How the hell am I...?"

He  _was_  dead. And last time Ace checked, the dead  _stayed_ dead. But here he was. He was, somehow, still alive.

Peeling his eyes slowly off the monument, he gazed down to analyse his appearance.

His gaze was met with scratched, bruised skin; littered painfully in bits of dirt and debris that stuck out from his chest. His skin was un-naturally pale, unlike it being a tanned colour he was all to use too, causing for a small frown to appear on his lips. Clenching his fists together, Ace took note of the broken nails and dirtied hands, the cuts slowly beginning to throb. A thought flashed through Ace's mind to mind, causing him to hastily look down the left side of his arm. The sight seemingly lifting his mood, the ex-Commander's eyes stayed glued to the bold  _ASCE_  tattoo which thankfully, was still there.

Of course, his necklace, hat and knife were missing, but were quickly found seeing as they were placed on top of his grave. This caused his mind to wonder on how someone would have been able to retrieve his belongings, inwardly gulping at the thought of his dead body being stripped of the said items.

Narrowing his eyes onto the familiar red necklace hanging beside his beloved hat, Ace blinked; his eyebrows raising at the thought of someone re-assembling it. It had surely shattered, but here it was; in one piece.

Shoving the thought off, Ace sighed.

Bringing his hands to the back of his head, the fire-thrower closed his eyes, trying to gather his memories on what had happened.

His eyes almost instantly shooting open with panic, the fire-thrower glanced down to his chest below, his pupils doubling in size. Right in the center of his chest, a horribly gigantic scar lay; the shape recognisable to the fist that killed Ace.

Gulping, Ace stared; his mouth becoming dry at the sight. His shoulders ever-so-slightly shaking, Ace turned his head around to peek at his back. Letting a relieved smile crawl across his lips, the ex-Commander let out a sigh of relief.

It was still there. Of course, _now_ there was a huge scar cancelling out more of the middle section of the tattoo, but it still remained.

The mark that showed that he wasWhitebeard's son.

As Ace smiled to himself, a slight breeze picked up, freeing Ace from his thoughts and causing him to snap back into the real world. Flipping his head to the side to dodge the ray of sunlight that had shined onto him, the fire-thrower winced his eyes.

"Damn it." He mumbled to himself, shaking his head. Peering back up to the grave before him, a sight slowly creeped into the corner of his eye, causing for the ex-Commander to freeze instantly on the spot.

To the side of him, stood another monument similar to his, but double the size. A white cloak hung there, fluttering along with the wind; causing Ace to stumble back.

He knew that cloak-  _heck_! He'd be able to recognize it out of thousands.

...But, why was it here?

Hesitantly moving his stare down to the words etched into the monument, the ex-Commander fell to the floor. With frozen eyes, a stutter of words fell out of his mouth, his whole body shaking.

" _Oyaji_?"

* * *

Leaning against Whitebeard's grave, Ace remained silent, allowing for the breeze to cover the ex-Commander's trembling eyes.

_"He's dead, you know_."

Throwing his hands to his face with fury, the fire-thrower slammed a fist into the ground below, biting down on his lip.

"D-Damn it!" He yelled out, hoping for any voice to shake him and tell him he was dreaming. Lifting his hands up to his forehead once more, the ex-Commander screamed, digging his nails into his head.

"Why? Why did you come for me?!"

Silence.

Half of him wanted to sit there waiting, wishing for his father to rise out of the grave like he just did. He'd even contemplated digging up the ground beneath him, hoping to see the same equally confused Oyaji buried alive. But after spending hours waiting, listening for any sign of life, it hit him that wasn't going to be the case.

He should have known it was coming. He knew from the moment that Squad stabbed him in Marineford, that there wasn't much of a chance of him surviving the war. He knew that Whitebeard would happily sacrifice himself for his son's lives, but to think that it  _actually_  happened.

He couldn't accept it.

He'd always wished that while he was inside the darkness, listening to the taunts the Voice was throwing him, that his family would have escaped. That they'd taken Luffy and escaped the war together, not leaving anyone behind.

...But he didn't know anything.  _Because he had been stuck in that hole this whole time._

He couldn't even imagine what his family went through. He should have been there- it was  _his_  fault that Oyaji was dead.

If it wasn't for him, the war would have never happened. He should of listened to his family's cries as he'd left to fight Teach. Then, now they'd all be together, on-board the Moby Dick. They'd all still be  _alive_.

Allowing for the tears to finally fall down his face, Ace held his arms around himself firmly, weeping beside the grand monument; not caring if anyone was around. He sat there for hours, his mind clouded with the events of Marineford that led to his captain's demise. Apologies fell from his mouth as quickly as his tears, silence being the only response. Though as the sun began to set, a small unexpected smile seemed to make its way onto his face.

Allowing for the last of his tears to fall down his freckled skin, Ace let out a small laugh; his eyes worn. Even though those thoughts were circling round in his mind, he couldn't help but hear them.

Oyaji, Marco, Thatch, Vista, even Izo laughing.

All of them, telling Ace that all he was saying was complete  _bullshit_.

They were family. And family keep each other alive, despite the circumstances. He knew this, afterall, he'd do the same for them. Doubt still filled his mind, he sighed; his hands still shaking from the shock.

Lifting his head up towards the cloak still wavering in the wind, Ace smiled. Feeling drowsiness edge at the ends of his sight, the fire-thrower mumbled, the image of his family stuck in his mind.

"You,  _idiots_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whelp, that was sad to write.  
> I hope you enjoyed it tho! As I said, I know its kinda short...but it's getting late. Thanks for reading!  
> -KayaaHiko


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :note:  
> Hey everyone, here's the new chapt-  
> DID YOU SEE IT GUYS..DID YOU SEE IT. HE'S ...KJDKHAJSHJAGSGYAGUKWR. I won't spoil for people who haven't read the latest chapter of One Piece, (though you seriously need to read it, of course after reading this :D) heeee'sss aliiivvveee.
> 
> BUT SERIOUSLY. When I found out, I called my sister at 3 in the morning shouting down the phone it has finally happened. She wasn't too happy. BUT I WAS :'D /sniffles from uncontrollable joy/
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter!
> 
> Disclaimer: I think it's kinda obvious that I'm not Oda :,)

* * *

Ace had assumed it had been around a day since he,  _as he put it_ , woken up. Most of those hours though were spent besides Oyaji's grave, the ex-Commander throwing countless questions towards his grave.

"Did you even try to escape? After I died?"

 _"_ Are Marco and the others, are they," Gulping, Ace closed his eyes, his thoughts racing "...Are they still alive?"

"Oyaji.  _How am I alive_?"

Silence.

Each time Ace spoke, he was always met with the slender and quiet sound of emptiness. Of course, it was a different silence to the one he'd been in for that  _unknown amount of time_ , but nevertheless. It was just as painful.

For a large part of his life, Ace had been surrounded by his friends and his family. He had been surrounded by the sounds and sights of freedom, enjoying the ocean alongside his brothers.

But when he was sitting there, lying besides Oyaji's grave, for the first time since meeting Luffy and Sabo.

He was truly  _alone._

"..."

And would he stand for that?

"Heh." The fire-thrower mumbled out, determination tinted in his voice.

_Absolutely not._

He was now far beyond pissed for that. No matter how hard it would be,  _he would find them._

He would find Marco, find Luffy. And he would find out why he was given a second chance.

Sighing, Ace raised from the spot he has been in the last few hours and turned to face Oyaji's grave. Saying his goodbyes to his father, Ace traipsed over to his own grave. Taking a hold of his familiar orange cowboy hat, his knife and precious beads, he turned away; placing his hat around his neck.

Slowly, he began to walk away from the two graves.

The next time he'd be there, it'd be with his family.

* * *

It had been around a week since Ace raised from his grave. And, to his misery, he was still stuck on the  _very_  un-welcoming island.

It took a day of constant walking and searching to find out Ace was the only  _living_ resident on this island, which to Ace's frustration, meant there was nowhere he could find food, clothes or the boat he needed to set sail.

Instead, he was left with a heard of irritable monkeys that Ace had concluded, shared the brain of a peanut.

During that time though, Ace had come across a habitable camping spot near a lake,  _which thankfully contained no sea water_ , and decided to camp there for a few nights. That was the plan until he found a way off the island.

He had bathed, hunted, eaten and slept. The only things he was missing was something to cover himself in and something to sail away.

Of course, to Ace's disappoint yet again, there was no  _escape your abandoned island kit_  set up and ready for him to take. After all, whoever had buried him there wasn't expecting anyone to  _leave_. So that left him to find other means to get off the island.

Sitting over a cliff, similar to the one he used to as a child, Ace sighed, reaching up for his hat. Slowly placing it on his knees in front of him, he took in every detail of the orange object. Gazing at it, he'd concluded that it'd been a considerable amount of time since Marineford, noting the worn out edges and faded colour. Two ambivalence faces stared back at him, taunting Ace with all the knowledge it knew.

Murmuring a mixture of words under his breath, he looked back up to the sea. Blinking a few times, Ace focused his misty black eyes. There was something,  _something_  in the corner of his eye.

Either he was now hallucinating, or he could have sworn his saw a sail.

Placing the hat back on his head, Ace jumped onto his feet, dashing to the tip of the cliff. A smile slowly crept across his face, as he saw something which he'd hadn't seen in days, even  _years_. _  
_

"No way." He chuckled out, dashing towards the direction of the said object.

It was hope.

* * *

"What, the?" The half-naked flame thrower stood there, a mixture of feelings flowing through him. In front of him, a rotted wooden object the size of a cargo ship lied against the wall, making the already dark and sodden cave seem small.

"No, no way. Please tell me that isn't what I think it is."

Being a pirate, Ace had expected to see a few shipwrecks here and there along his journey, and they were usually quite the sight.

_But now was not the time he had wanted to see one._

Not when it was his only chance he had to escape.

Dashing over to the once magnificent ship, Ace jumped inside, slowly examining what used to be the deck.

His eyes stumbled the remnants of the wreckage, as he started to explore the inside of the ship. Just when he was content that there was no functioning equipment that could be used on the ship, the sound of something rustling echoed it's way to Ace's ears.

"Huh?"

_Is there someone else here?_

He would have found them by now, right? Not to mention, he'd have sensed them. He may have been underground for  _who knows_  how long, but the fire-thrower was still capable of handling Haki. He'd experimented, fighting the monkeys (in his mind, they'd deserved it) to let off the anger he'd been building since waking up. He wasn't anywhere near as strong as he was before fighting Teach, but he was nowhere near  _weak_.

Though despite his own thoughts, Ace sprinted over to the place where the sounds had echoed from, only to be met with the now  _holy_ sight of a slightly damaged Lanteen boat.

He had found his way off the island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TAADAAAH. There we go. Another chapter finished! Luckily from now on we can actually progress a bit in this story instead of reading Ace's emotions. Now the real story begins. Maybe. I'm working on it.
> 
> Also, (giving you a little hint here) Ace left the grave site with the grave still dug up. That might not have been the best idea.
> 
> -KayaaHiko


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :note:
> 
> JKAHJHJDHAGYUTGQU- I DID IT. I GOT ANOTHER CHAPTER OUT. YEAh sure. It's not the biggest chapter in the world. But neither are the others :D
> 
> MERRY CHRISTMAS! (nearly) But. I'm not going to keep you waiting. SO ENJOY THE CHAPTER.
> 
> (P.S: Has the thought of a fat man travelling down your chimney to steal your food and drop of objects which you have no clue what they are until you open them to kids seem weird to you. Am I the only one? Oh. Well Santa scares me.)

After dragging the rotten Lanteen boat to shore, Ace took a step back to asses the damage that the raft had.

The boat wasn't exactly  _huge_. Other then the fact it had massive broken sails towering over, most of the boat was missing a good part of its deck. And that wasn't the only problem. The solution to fixing these parts of the Lanteen boat was probably the biggest problem out of them all.

The only resources Ace actually had on the island was trees, bits of debris from the shipwreck, and- monkeys _._ And no matter how much the fire-thrower wanted to kill the irritating creatures, he knew it would do no good.

"Ah, this is going to be a pain to fix." Ace groaned, shaking his head towards the sand.

"Well, I wasn't expecting this to be easy." Lifting his hand to sway the hair away from his eyes, Ace continued to move the Lanteen boat so that it was a comfortable distance away from the sea.

After all, the last thing he needed was for his  _one little hope of escape_  float away happily into the sunset.

Collapsing onto the sandy ground below him next to the raft, Ace laid back, allowing for the breeze to wash by him. His thoughts clouded by ways he could escape the island, he found his eyes becoming more heavy; slowly letting the darkness that a hold of him.

* * *

Finally, the boat was finished.

 _Well._ More like the boat was usable. If you could  _call_  it a boat.

The Lanteen was a peculiar looking boat, having only one sail, compared to the two it had previously before Ace 'fixed' it _._  The main and only mast was skilfully stuck together by a dozen coconut leaves, which seemed to work as it had a tenacious grip to the mast. Inside the boat was stacks of worn, battered boxes, stacked with fruit that Ace had gathered from the island ( _causing Ace to have another one to one match with the monkeys_ ) and other vital resources such as water.

Though, the object that stood out the most in the Lanteen was the grinning Ace himself, covered from head to toe in a white cloth which had previously been used to as the second sail; hiding all of his features. After all, he wanted to find Luffy and Marco first before he ran into any  _unwanted_ trouble.

One thing you could recognise though, was the mad man grin Ace had plastered on his face.

Looking around the boat, he whistled impressively. "Not to bad, if I say so myself. Ha, who knew I could build a ship?"

"..."

As is he was talking to someone who disapproved of the ship, he grumbled, sitting down onto the far side of the boat. "It's not like I'm a shipwright or anything, don't give me that look."

"..."

"Yeah, yeah. I hear ya'! Okay, I admit it. The boat looks shit." He put his hands up in defense, as a scowl covering his face. Jumping over the side of the boat, Ace began to drag the Lanteen boat towards the sea.

Previously, he couldn't understand how people could feel sentimental when they left an island they had been on for a certain amount of time. Sure leaving Luffy behind in Fuusha Village was upsetting, and made him have sudden urges to run back and take Luffy with him- but Ace couldn't find anywhere more fitting as the sea being his home.

He was all too fed up of this island. Actually, he couldn't be more happier being far,  _far_ away from it.

So that was why, as soon as the tip of the boat hit the sea, a wild smirk sprang on Ace's face. Giving one last push, he toppled over the side of the boat, which had finally started to drift off with the tide.

The white figures smile faded, as he turned to look down to his hands, a thoughtful look shimmering through his eyes.

An image of a 14-year-old Luffy with a huge grin on his face came to mind, his hands waving as he yelled his goodbyes to his brother. Looking up towards the sea before him, with a distant look his eyes, he whispered; his tone filled with regret.

"It's not long now. I'm going to see you again, Luffy."

* * *

Not far from where Ace was sailing away, an immense figure the shape of a ship was sailing towards the island.

A flag fluttered at the top of the main mast, dancing with the wind as an all too familiar logo was plastered to the black fabric.

The logo was a simple skull and crossbones, the eyes narrowed with the mouth smirking in a mysterious way. Across the top of the mouth however, has a mark that a couple of years ago, would have scared pirates and marines alike. A mark which has faded throughout the tough years where they had been separated from their captain.

_A long white beard stretched across the skull's smirking face._

"Captain. We're approaching the island."

A tall, pale man stood at the front of the ships deck, his eyes locked on the island ahead. His golden hair swayed in the wind along with the wind, his aura strong. The man sighed, closing his eyes before looking towards the crew mate which appeared to be talking to him.

"Prepare to dock."

A silent whisper came from his lips.

"Oyaji, Ace. We're here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TAAADAH. Another chapter finished! /collapses  
> Uh oh. Ace is going crazy. It would seem that Ace is still talking to the voice he use to talk to all the time back when he was in the darkness. /whistles like I have nothing to do with it/ & Marco and the rest of the New Whitebeard Pirates have arrived.
> 
> -KayaaHiko


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :note:
> 
> I GOT ANOTHER CHAPTER OUT PEOPLE /pops champagne
> 
> And there is a tiny bit of difference in the chapter length. This is the longest yet! I hope you enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Disclaimer: After reading/watching One Piece for a while now, I always see these people commenting about how lame Luffy's bounty is and how it should be higher. Personally, I would hate that! I love how we get to see Luffy's bounty slightly rise higher and higher through the chapters/episodes. It makes the story that little bit more exciting...don't you think? That doesn't make me own it though.

_As you search,_

_seeking out for those lost moments._

_The ones that have been consumed by time._

_Does it not occur to you,_

_that the thing you may be searching for,_

_is the exact thing that you are running away from?_

* * *

Haruta was always known in the crew to be the most cheeky one. The one that always would sneak up on you, and express that humorous side of her, despite how mellow you once were. Though, the same thing could be said for the rest of the crew.

They all have their special little quirks; their personalities. The little things that make them unique, and the personal things that made them his family.

Being on-board the Moby Dick was like a dream come true. Being forever surrounded by their family, sailing the depths of the worlds' ocean as free as they could be. It was everything that he could have wished for.

So when, two years later, when she makes her way up towards the place where her family is buried along with the rest of her grieving brothers, those special little quirks, for a split of a second-

_they seem to fade from existence._

It had been two long years.

Two extremely  _protracted_  and  _painful_  years since she and all of her brothers had lost their father and their brother. Ace had died protecting his younger brother, whereas Whitebeard died protecting his sons and daughters. Even though both had died so others could live, sometimes it seemed it would have been better the other way round. To let their family protect their beloved brother and father.

_But, they couldn't._

And from then on, the regret and sadness would eat them away, despite the guiltiness they felt.

Glancing to the side, Haruta spotted Namur, looking as lost in his thoughts as she was, recollecting the many adventures and trials that the crew had faced before anything regarding  _Teach_ interrupted their lives.

Placing her hand on top of the fishmans shoulder, Haruta shot Namur a weak but meaningful smile, shaking him out of his thoughts.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked reassuringly, even though he already knew the answer.

Nodding, the fishman shuffled forward a bit, causing Haruta's hand to fall. Namur turned around, sending Haruta a saddened smile before looking forward towards the hill. "Yeah, I'll be fine. How do you recon Marco's doing?"

"Same as us, I guess." She answered, also gazing towards the hill.

Though that's what she'd said, she wasn't really feeling that way.

The harsh truth was, that Marco had been closest to them all. Oyaji, Ace, Thatch. They all knew this was true, because out of everybody, Marco had been the first and only one that had walked over to where they had been buried, while everyone else just watched- waiting for their captain to return.

Namur let out a sad laugh, looking up towards the sky, raindrops dripping down his face. "I sure hope not." Chuckling the same laugh herself, Haruta stayed, glued to her spot as the raindrops danced around her.

Suddenly, the sight of her captain caught their eyes, though seeing him caused Haruta to take a few steps back; before rushing towards him with confusion.

Marco had not returned with the sad, solemn face he had arrived to the island with... he had instead a shadowed face which was facing the ground, his fists clamped tightly together as blue flames started to lick his shoulders.

The sense of power radiated off of him, as his body shook slightly, causing his brothers around him to think that he had finally lost it. That thought quickly changed as Marco raised his head, everybody around him taking a slight step back as they stared, eyes wide at the very,  _very pissed off Marco_ that stood before them.

Stopping a few feet in front of him, Haruta gasped for breath, giving him a worried glance; unable to tell why he was so angry. "Marco! What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Not answering, Marco continued to stay quiet, lowering his head even him. His pupils were trembling, a sight that made the crew worry even more.

Slowly, he raised his hand, indicating for Haruta and anybody else to go and have a look themselves. "Ace's-" He whispered, as if no other words could leave his mouth.

Picking up her pace, Haruta ran past him; heading towards where her father and brother's graves were.

Finally she stopped, the sight of a substance on the ground a few meters away from where the graves were meant to be catching her attention. Glancing to the side, she noticed Izo had caught up to her and Namur; watching as he knelt down to inspect the substance.

"...Mud?" He whispered, his eyebrows furrowing.

Deciding to go ahead, her and Namur headed towards the white cloak which fluttered in the wind; soaked in the rain that was now pouring from the sky. Halting, the two gasped; their pupils wide with disbelief at what the gravesite had become. Ace'sbelongings were gone, the ground below dug-up, showing an empty coffin.

A shattering silence hit the air, the two pirates unable to speak as their minds tried to catch up what their eyes were seeing.

That was until a grazed, choked voice filled the silence. "What the hell is this?!" Izo yelled, walking up to the two.

Haruta gulped, kneeling down in the mud that surrounded the coffin; her pupils widening for a split of a second.  _"What the-?"_

"When I find the person who did this." Izo continued, turning around as he tried to keep his calm. "They are beyond fucking dead." His eyes disappeared, shading the utter fury written on his face. "And I am sure that- that Marco feels the same way." Quickly, Izo rushed back to where the rest of the crew was, the back of him shaking. Staying near that place made himself want to hurl.

Namur, who had been quiet the whole time, turned to take a glance at Whitebeard's grave, his eyes gluing in place.

"Who, who would have done this? It couldn't have been the Marines, they agreed that they would respect the burial of... of Ace."

"Since when do Marines respect pirate's wishes? As far as I know, all they care about is wiping us off the map." Haruta quickly questioned back, her tone disgusted.

"But they would never have gone this far. It goes against what they believe in."

"What they believe in? Damn Namur, since when were you so pro-Marine?"

"Not now Haruta."

"..."

Namur glimpsed at Haruta, before his eyebrow raising slightly. "What are you doing?"

Haruta stayed silent, her eyes still scanning the dug up grave before her. Eventually she spoke, her voice rasp and quiet. "Thi-this dirt. It doesn't look like it was dug through, or sliced from above..."

"What do you mean?"

Meeting Namur's gaze, Haruta lifted her head, her vivid blue eyes shaking.

"It's just that, from the way the earth is shaped from what appears to be the removal of the body," Haruta gulped, standing up as her body began to tremble. Brushing the dirt off of her white feathered trousers, she continued nervously. "...What I'm saying is, that it looks to me like the grave was dug from the inside, not from the outside."

After what felt like an eternity of silence, the fishman narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What?"

"Looking at how the earth is shaped around the grave, there is no way that anyone would be able to remove the body. So instead I turned to inspect the detail of the cracks which seemed to have formed. They were formed by an explosion Namur. And the only way that is possible, is for someone inside the coffin to actually-"

Haruta's voice trailed off, the all too familiar silence shook the air again. The drips of the falling raindrops hitting the monument echoed in the air. It couldn't be what she was thinking,  _right_?

"Namur, is it possible that-"

"Stop it Haruta. Don't be ridiculous. Not, not right now."

"But-" Haruta looked down to the ground, the logical side of herself fighting the thoughts.

"Do you think this is a joke?!" Namur grabbed a hold of her shoulders, startling Haruta from her jumbled thoughts. "This isn't some prank or joke that someones playing on us! I didn't think I'd have to explain the situation here!"

"Namur..."

"It's probably just some sick bastard who has a grudge against us. We have a ton of dangerous enemies who probably thought this was the best way to get back at us. That's the only thing which could have happened!"

"Listen to me Namur!" Haruta shouted, causing Namur to become silent, a slight tremble coming from her lips.

"It, it was something I was only suggesting. Lets just go back to everyone, okay? They're probably as upset and confused as we are, so lets just go back,  _please_." Tears started to swell up in her eyes, as Namur slowly let go of his shoulders. Nodding, they both turned back, slowly walking away from the gravestones.

Quickly looking back at the uncovered grave, Haruta frowned; her instinct screaming at her that there was something more to it than revenge. Slowly looking over to Oyaji's grave, she sighed. "I must've got it wrong." She whispered, following Namur back to the ship.

* * *

Fate must despise Ace. Bad luck stalked the man, similar to the way animals stalked their prey before killing them off.

Why was Ace thinking of this though?

_He was completely and utterly lost._

Of course he wouldn't admit it out loud though. He had been floating at sea for what seemed like an eternity, and Ace's patience was just about to give. Previously, when he had been sailing on his Striker, he had been given certain navigational points which always lead Ace to where he'd wanted to go.

But when he was sailing on a ruined boat, navigating the tremendous seas of the New World with no idea where to go, of course after the said person had escaped his own coffin after  _dying_  in the depths of war-

...It was understandable that the said person was just about to lose it.

And meaning by he was losing it, he was starting to talk to things that  _weren't actually there **.**_

"I have got to say." Ace laughed hitting the side of the frail deck, glancing over the side. "For a little boat like you, you sure have some balls."

" _Damn, this is pathetic._ "

"What was that?"

" _What kind of pirate are you if you can't even sail a lame boat like this?_ "

Ace's eyebrow twitched, looking around for the source of the sound. "'The hell did you just say?"

_"It's been eight days since we left that island, and we've done nothing but float around- going nowhere."_

"You have no faith in my navigating skills." Ace laughed, laying back onto the side of the boat, his cloak falling down the sides of his elbows. "Don't worry, we'll get there."

_"And with that simple minded attitude, it's amazing you haven't died again already."_

Twitching again, Ace narrowed his eyes, looking at a certain area of the boat as if he was glaring at a person who was sitting down.

"Is that so?" Smirking, his eyes glanced at the 'other figure' inside the boat.

_"Well, I'll be damned."_

Ace laughed, cracking his knuckles, the smirk still plastered on his face. "You've got that right."

The Voice gave an audible sigh, appearing to point in the direction opposite Ace, causing the freckled man to look behind him. Jolting up to his feet, a gasp of relief washed through him.

Not too far away from the Lanteen, a barely visible island caught Ace's eyes.

Maybe he wasn't too unlucky after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *YAY FOR LONG CHAPTERS.* Damn that was hard to write. Also I feel sorry for Marco. I mean think about it, the people he was around most in the crew are now dead. Also leaving him in charge of the Whitebeard crew all alone. Oda can be brutal sometimes. D:
> 
> But now Ace is lost in the middle of the ocean while going mad because he is now talking to a voice in his head.
> 
> Namur, I personally think was close to Ace. Like Luffy, I don't think Ace could give two shit's about whether or not Namur is a fishman, so I personally think they must have been close.
> 
> -KayaaHiko


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So maybe I got a bit too carried away at Christmas... and I may or may not had forgotten about this chapter. IM SORRY. I suffered from a deadly disease called Writer's Block. /dramatically faints/
> 
> I hope all of you have had a great Christmas! What did you do? I would love to know! Me? What did I do? I would like to know that too/memory blurs more.
> 
> Disclaimer: Unless Oda magically turns into a teenage girl, sitting in an extremely colorful and flashy room looking like she has taken every drug under the sun, I am not going to be Oda.

* * *

Docking on the island turned out to be alot easier than either Ace or the Voice could have imagined. From what Ace could remember, most of the islands that were even close to Red Line would be heavily guarded by either marines or pirates.

So seeing that there was only one small, quaint village that looked to be deserted did not clench Ace's fear of  _where in the world he was._

"They wouldn't have."

Walking towards the grassy cliffs that overlooked the sea behind them, the white cloaked figure's eyes darted everywhere, trying the grasp the scenery, the sounds; the smells.

It didn't look like a place which was used to damage or warfare. It also didn't look like this place was showing any signs of erased beauty or pain from its inhabitants. And it certainly didn't look like it had been bombarded by marines or war-mongering pirates.

And that can only mean one thing.

"Shit."

" _What_?"

Halting in his steps, Ace's hand rested on the back of his head, rushing his fingers through his hair as he tried to calm down.

"We're not in the Grandline."

"... _Not in the Grandline? You're guessing, aren't you._ "

Twitching, his eyes shifted slowly to the left, looking at the presumed Voice up and down. "Who said I was guessing it?"

_"Me."_

Eyes twitching again, he faced away from the Voice; beginning to walk back up towards the cliffs. A scowl easily visible on his face, he started to mutter under his breath. "Hey look, its not a guess. Look around. Do you see any pirate or marine ships around here? There is none. Unless pirates have become extinct since I've been gone then it looks like we've round-up in one to the blue seas. It's either that or we're at the start of the Grandline."

_"...really."_

"What?"

" _Sometimes pirate, you shows signs of actually not being stupid."_

Smirking, Ace looked back at the Voice, sending it a smile.

_"This isn't one of those times."_

And as easily as that smile came, it went. Ace's eyebrows started twitching, his eyes narrowing. "You know, you're starting to get  _real_  too cocky for my liking."

_"Shouldn't we be doing something, I don't know- more important?"_

The said Voice pointed towards the town they were approaching, distracting the fire thrower from his thoughts. "Tch."

Deciding it best not to interrupt Ace from his  _lovely_ about the Voice, it sighed, following him up the steep cliff.

* * *

Vista leaned against the wooden walls of the cabin, his eyes closed. He stood there listening to the barely audible breaths coming from his captain.

The man hadn't said a thing except from a few words since they had left the island, the others which had returned from the graves being just as silent.

All of them, had returned, paler than before; as the shock of the stolen body clouded all of their minds. After they had all continued to ask the four what had happened, the one that spoke was Namur, telling them something which they wouldn't have thought would happen in their wildest dreams.

Even thinking about it made his stomach swell and his eyes sting.

_/ "His body. It's gone."_

_"...What?"_

_Namur said, his eyes hidden from everyone's view. "Ace. The- his body. Some bastard has taken it."_

_Silence hit the air, everyone quiet as their minds processed what the fishman had just said._

_Taking ahold of his collar, Vista shook the man harshly, his breath quivering. "What are you talking about Namur? Someone's stolen Ace's body? That's ridiculo-"_

_"It's true."_

_All heads turned to their captain, who was previously silent, his eyes empty and face stern._ _Vista slowly let go of Namur, who stumbled back, his eyes glued on Marco._

_Blenheim was the first to speak, though the actual words was a mash of confusion. "W-whe-wha-who?"_

_"We don't know yet. But we will." Marco answered quick, as he walked slightly away from the group, only to turn back at them again. "We are to board the ship immediately. They haven't been gone for long now, so we are to quickly head to the next island. It's the most likely place we'll find them." Everyone silently watched him walk down to the edge of the forest, a barely audible whisper falling from his lips.  
_

_"And when we do, I'm going to kill those **bastards**  myself." /_

Vista sighed, slowly opening his eyes to once again look at his captain, his eyes empty from the contentment that were once there two years ago. He's definitely never seen Marco that mad before, not even after the days after Marineford.

Those, were-  _tough times._ They were long, lingering days that didn't seem to end. The grief of losing their family members unable to sink in.

Even then had he not seen Marco look this upset. Heck, the man even swore, something he hadn't heard since the day he joined.

"When are we due to dock to the next island?"

Vista blinked, taken from his thoughts as he processed the question. "They said another four days. That's at best though."

Nodding, Marco resumed to carry on with the paperwork in front of him, though both men knew that no work was actually being done.

"My division is now currently on look out for any passing ships. I assure you that you'll be the first to know if there is any sight of anything." Vista said sternly, the only other noise being the raindrops hitting the window of the cabin.

Marco nodded again, Vista taking that as a sign to leave. Letting out another sigh, he walked towards the door; twisting the doorknob.

"Thank you Vista."

Turning around, Vista saw his captain sending him a weak smile. Mirroring the same emotion, he nodded, pushing the door open and leaving.

It was going to be a long four days.

* * *

"Eh?"

Ace stood there, blinking a few times, trying to make sure that what he was seeing was real.

Well more like what he was  _not seeing_. From afar the town looked nearly deserted, but up close, it turned out it was completely gone.

_"Damn, you really do have bad luck."_

Twitching again at the sound of the Voice, he un-glued his feet from the ground and began to look in the houses windows, slightly tapping on it to see if anyone was in.

_"Do you seriously think that anyone would answer the door to someone who was wearing nothing but a cloak?"_

"Well I don't see you doing anything!" Ace turned around, pointing at the figure with a scowl on his face.

_"I can easily see that there's no-one here, it'd be a waste of time."_

"..."

_"You can put your hand down now you know."_

"..."

_"What?"_

"Who're you?" Ace stated bluntly, his eyes narrowing.

 _"You ask me this just now?!"_ The Voice yelled, it's eyes widening.

"Just answer the damn question!"

_"No."_

"What?!"

_"I said no!"_

Quickly a fire-shaped bullet darted out of Ace's fingertip, aimed for the Voice's shoulder. However, to Ace's surprise and dismay, the bullet passed straight through it, causing Ace to take a step back, his back hitting a window.

"What... what are you?"

_"Do you really have the right to say that, dead-man?"_

As soon as the last word was said, another fire bullet came flying at the Voice's head.

Trying hard not to respond to the others antics, the Voice sighed, sitting on the ground. " _I get it, okay? This is weird-"_

"No shit! I'm talking to someone who isn't even here with me!"

Furrowing it's eyebrows, the Voice twitched; the words gritting out from it's teeth. " _But just ignore me for now, okay?_ "

Twitching for what seemed like the hundredth time of the day, Ace pointed at the Voice again. "Don't give me that shit! Who the hell are you and why have you been following me?"

_"Wouldn't a better question be: 'Why did my dumbass brain just realise this now?'"_

Twitch. "...Don't avoid the question jackass."

_"Like what you're doing?"_

Twitch.

"Mister, are you okay?"

Twitch. "Wait, What?"

Turning his head to the source of the sound, Ace was faced short, dirty snot-nosed brat, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Uh, yeah." Though to be honest, he didn't know what to say. Though he couldn't say the same thing about his mind.

 **1:**  Who was this kid?

 **2:**  Where had this kid come from?

**3:** _Was this kid even real?_

"Cause you're screaming at a bench. You're even pointing to it!"

Peeling his eyes over to where he was pointing, his eyes were met with a broken bench; the figure he was speaking to only moments ago, gone.

"..." _  
_

Looking back at the kid, he slowly lowered his hand down, before slightly pointing to the bench again with a dumbstruck look on his face. "There's, uh. There's an explanation for that."

"Oh?" The little boy tilted his head, giving a questioning look, close to the one his younger brother wore. The difference was though that no one could say no to Luffy, whereas with this kid, he clearly was going to decline any type of explanation as to why he was talking to a bench.

"...Where did you come from?"

"You see Mister, when a mummy and daddy love each other ver-"

Ace quickly ran over to the kid to put a hand over his mouth. A flash of Dadan and the bandits laughing flashed in his mind as he inwardly shuddered.

He was  _not_ going to go through that talk again. Especially not with what looked like a 7 year old kid.

"Okay,  _that's not what I meant_! I meant, where do you live?"

"Oh! I live in the town over on the other side of this island!"

"There's another town on this island?" Ace asked though, mostly to himself. Looking back at the bench,  _half expecting to see the figure of the Voice there,_ he sighed. Kneeling down so he was at eye level with the kid, Ace smiled, trying to make himself look as harmless as he could.

"Uh, do you mind showing me the way to this, town?" Sending the kid another smile, he was relieved to see he kid smiling back at him, lightly grabbing a hold of his cloak.

"Sure! It's this way Mister?"

"Just call me Mister."

Giggling, the kid nodded and skipped in front of him, rambling on about something, whilst Ace followed him; his eyes dazed.

The kid very much reminded the ex-commander of Luffy when he was around the same age. Or maybe that was his homesickness setting in. He didn't know. All he knew was that he wanted to find his brother soon, and if that meant re-starting his adventure from one of the blue seas again, he didn't care.

"Mister?"

"Huh?"

Giggling interrupted his thoughts, as he glanced down to the boy yet again, inwardly sighing.

Damn it, he forgot the brat was still here. In fact, he's amazed that he was able to follow the kid as lost in thought as he was. He needed to lose him as soon as they got to the town. A cloaked man walking around with innocent looking child? That won't bring people's attention at all.

"Uh, how long is it 'till we get to this town of yours?" Ace asked, still staring at the child in front of him.

"Hmm." The boy turned around, walking backwards as he faced the cloaked figure. "I would say around another ten minutes!"

"It was that close?" Ace again asked himself, forgetting that he was in the presence of the child.

"Yep! No-one goes near the village you were in anymore." The kid muttered, facing towards the trees ahead.

"Oh?" Ace raised an eyebrow.

"The people say something about going there gives them bad memories or something. Though I have no idea why! We lived there happily 'till around a'bout two years ago."

"Two years ago? What happened then?" Even though Ace couldn't say he loved listening to histories of the islands he visited, he was curious in why the village back there was deserted.

The boy in front of him halted, slowly turning round to look at him in the eyes. "Mm." His eyes shadowed.

"I-I don't know what happened. Cant' remember." It was obvious from the kid's face that he was lying, but Ace decided not to pry into it. He didn't want to suddenly deal with a crying kid.

Giving the kid a pat of the head, he walked a few steps in front of the boy, deciding not to look back as he held up a hand. "Thanks kid. I think I can find my way from here."

The kid still dazed in his thoughts slightly nodded, before giving the cloaked man a small smile, running back off into the woods.

* * *

Finally, after walking what seemed an hour compared to a measly ten minutes, Ace finally came across signs of civilisation, and the signs weren't at all suttle.

Sounds of crowds. People laughing. People arguing. People crying, echoed its way into Ace's ears.

Smells of different types of meat, wheat, fish, fruit smothered around him with every step, along with the sights of a bustling town, a familiarity that Ace had come to  _miss_.

Without knowing it, a smile crept onto Ace's face, before reminding himself that he needed to be as discreet as he could. Pulling the hood of his cloak further over his face to hide is features, he continued to walk on.

The town was surprisingly huge, compared to that of the village that Ace had previously been in, causing the fire-thrower to re-think on how he missed such a place this huge in the first place. It was obvious from within a few moments of approaching this place that pirates were going to be present. After years being one yourself and living around others, you tend to pick up signs of their presence, and in this case, it was several pirates declaring how powerful they were.

Choosing to stay  _far_ away from anything which looks to cause a scene, Ace stuck to walking along the sides of streets, evading the countless people walking towards and across from him as he tried to find somewhere he could get  _some_ information.

And that's when Ace spotted a building in which most people were avoiding. He didn't know whether that was a good sign, or a  _really_   _bad sign_. But looking at all his other options, Ace slowly made his way over, squinting his eyes to read the barely visible sign that had hung over the door.

' ** _THE RED_   _LION TAVERN_** '

Smirking, Ace pushed the two doors open, casually made his way over to one of the stools. He could really do with a drink right now, who says he couldn't get any info at the same time?

As soon as he stepped inside, all eyes were perched on his back, silence filling the room as he made his entrance. The barkeep looked the cloaked man up and down, thoroughly cleaning one of the mugs, a bored and slightly olden look posted across his face. "What..." The man sighed, placing the mug down and leaning towards Ace. "...will it be?"

Leaning back, Ace nodded towards the drinks behind the counter. "The best you've got." He'd missed the taste of booze, the scent of food- the sound of life.  _Damn, it's good to be back._

Sound started to fill the tavern again,  _much to Ace's relief,_ as he watched the barkeep set the mug in front of him, the man still staring at the cloaked figure with interest.

"..."

"You're not from around here, are ya'?"

 _Shit. That didn't take long._ Ace shook his head, bringing the rum to his mouth, drinking it nearly in one. "No, I'm not."

"Heh." Laughing as he whipped up another glass in front of Ace, the man leaned in closer to the ex-commander, throwing a damp cloth over his shoulder. "Well come 'n then! Tell us ya' name!"

 _Damn. What's up with this old geezer?_ Leaning back a little more, Ace stared at the other mug placed before him, before glancing the other way. A newspaper caught the freckled man's eye, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "Tell you what. I'll tell you my name if you give me some information."

Grinning, the barkeep slammed the counter. "Information's what ya' want, is it?! Well tell me boy, what's it ya' want ta' hear?"

"The date. What's today's date?"

Not expecting such an easy request, the barkeep himself raised an eyebrow, before squinting his eyes, his mind obviously trying to recall it. "The date ya' say? It's tha' first of February. What of it boy?"

Ace's eyes shadowed, his head lowering. He couldn't remember how long it had been from his fight with Teach to Marineford. Had it been weeks, or maybe even months? He didn't know, the whole time spent in Impel Down was just a faint blur.

All that he could remember was the pain, the agony of letting his father down. The grief of knowing he wasn't going to see his brothers again, and the torture of knowing Luffy was making his way down to hell with him.

Yeah. He chose _not_  remember those times spent there.

Lifting up his head again, he picked up the second mug placed before him, gulping it down like it was water, before looking once more at the barkeep. "The year?"

Looking the boy up and down again, the barkeep picked up the dirty rag from over his shoulder, taking the two mugs from Ace's reach. "Now that's a rather strange question, a boy like 'ya doesn't even know what year 'es is in?"

"Just, just answer the question please."

"It's tha' first of February 1524 if my memory serves me right."

_1524? So that means it's been-  
_

_"-two years."_

"Ah!" Jumping back from off his stool which quickly slammed to the floor, Ace pointed at the Voice's figure, who appeared to be sitting cross-legged on the stool beside him.

Sighing, the Voice rested it's hand on the counter, a bored tone inching in its voice.  _"Man, you really know how to make a_ _scene, don't you? Remember this, you're the only one that can see me."_

Hearing this, Ace looked around to see the barkeep staring at him with wide eyes, along with anyone else in the area who was in audible reach. Coughing, Ace picked up his stool, slowly sitting on it, waiting for the background noise to continue.

"Ya' alright boy?"

"Uh, yeah. I thought I saw somebody I knew."

_"Tch."_

The barkeep eyed the man, then back at the thing he was previously pointing too. "A stool?"

"..."

He really needed to stop talking to furniture. As he tried to look away from the confused look on the barkeep's face, Ace spotted a bounty poster hanging in the background.

_...No way. That couldn't be-_

"Hey! Old man! Mind telling me about that guy in the poster there?" Ace pointed over in the direction of a certain bounty poster, causing the barkeep turned round, his sight causing him to laugh.

"Ahh, ya' a bounty hunter then I presume. Well let'me warn ya' now, if ya' thinking about going after the' boy, then ya' might s'well give up now. Some say that they heard 'es was tha' son of the Revolutionary Leader Dragon!"

A smile crept on the freckled man's face, his hope of his brother being alive growing. "That's the one. Do you know anything more about what's happened to him?"

Banging his hands on the counter yet again, the barkeep looked at the man with startled eyes. "Ya' haven't heard?! 'es said ta' be the brother of tha'  _Pirate King's son_! People who were there ta' witness the war said so themselves!"

Flinch.

They knew. Even though he would have guessed that the whole world knew about his relations with that  _being_ , it still punctured him when he heard it.

Though that didn't seem to matter, from they way the barkeep was speaking-  _his brother was still alive_.

Leaning in closer to the cloaked figure  _again_ , the barkeep continued to ramble on. "Not only did they say that 'e ran into that war, but some believe 'e was tha' one that released all those criminal's from Impel Down!"

Bellowing laughs from behind interrupted any train of thought that could have been going through Ace's head, the man not bothering to see who the laughs belonged too.

"Straw-hat Luffy?! Gyahahaha!" Everyone surrounding the loud man also laughed, cheered even.

"It was I who freed all the criminals from the dreaded Impel Down!  _Me_!"

Now  _this_ caused Ace to turn around and stare at the loud deafening man, making his eyebrow raise slightly. He thought he recognised the voice, but now it was the face _._

_Damn it. Where have I seen him befor-_

"I'm the one whose known as a Legend among Pirate Crews!" Everyone in the tavern started to go quiet, staring at the ridiculous looking man-no- _clown_? who was now standing on one of the tables, his follower's surrounding him. "The _one_  and  _only_ leader of the Pirate Dispatch Society! It is  _I_! The Clown Star, Buggy the Clown!"

Placing a fist in his other hand, Ace blankly stared at the man. "Oh. It's him."

Banging the counter with his fists  _again_ , the barkeep stared at the clown, his eyes wide. "Ya' know that clown boy?!"

"Huh?" Ace turned back around to face the barkeep, who was now staring at him.  _Oops_ _. Did I say that out loud?_

"Uh, no. Just heard of him, that's all." Bringing the hood of the cloak forward, still keeping his feature's hidden, Ace pointed at the rum bottle behind the counter, nodding as the barkeep quickly fetched him another glass.

"One more question, do you know where I am?"

The barkeep tilted his head slightly, passing Ace the drink. "Ya' sure do ask a lot of weird question's boy. How can ya' not no where ya' ah?"

Grabbing the drink, Ace slowly sipped it this time, sighing as he set the drink back down.

Taking the man's silence as an answer, the barkeep continued on. "Ya' in the New World sonny'. The island of Loranco, near ta' the Red Line."

 _Loranco? That rang another bell. Seriously, why can I not think of anything today!?_ Ace sighed, lowering his head down a bit.

The Voice next to Ace laughed, before sneering at him with a smug tone.  _"I was right, you did guess it."_

Choosing to ignore the voice next to him, Ace looked back up at the barkeep with interest. "I'm in the New World? But when I docked this island, there was nobody around."

Taking the mug from Ace, the barkeep's eyes narrowed slightly, facing away from the him as he went to wash the mug. "Ahh. Ye' must have docked at tha' other side of this island then. No, you see nobody goes round that area anymore boy, and if ye'are planning on staying then you shouldn't either."

Curious, Ace pushed further. "Oh? And why is that?"

His eyes shadowed, similar to the way the boy's was earlier, the barkeep faced the man with a grim look on his face. "This used ta' be an island protected by tha' Whitebeard Pirates. After his death two years ago, this island was left un-protected. The Marines thought that it would be a good chance ta' punish us for allying with pirates, so they wiped part of this island's population as a warning." The barkeep slowly continued to clean the mug, Ace staring at the man with wide eyes.

"..."

His fault. That was  _all his fault._

Did he even  _deserve to live_  after what he had done to this island? And not just this island.

No.

There were plenty of other island's that were under Whitebeard's name.

So- _how many more people had died because of him?_

Ace slammed his fists down on the counter, burning the edges of it discreetly. This alarmed the barkeep, slightly tapping Ace on the shoulder.

"..."

_"Listen to me, pirate. Don't you dare start going down that guilt trip again. That's what got you here in the first place, right?"_

Glaring over to his side, he whispered with a saddened yet angered voice. "And just what do you know? As far as I know you're just a voice inside my head."

_"..."_

"Oi' boy, you alright?" The barkeep questioned, taking a slight step back.

Ace sighed, rubbing his hand over his forehead as he sat up. Though where his eyes should have stopped at the man in front of him, instead they moved on to the grinning picture of the boy behind him.  _He's alive. It seems like the others are alive- I need to focus on that._

Looking towards the barkeep, he held his hands up showing a guilty smile. "Uh, about the drinks."

"They're on me boy, after all, ye' have been a pleasure ta' serve unlike tha' ruthless pirate's which have been in 'ere before." The barkeep smiled back at him.

Taking the gesture quickly, Ace got up off the stool, before turning around.

"But there is one thing that you haven't done boy."

Turning around, Ace raised an eyebrow, unknowing of what the man had wanted. "Oh?"

"What's ya' name?"

Smirking, Ace turned to face the man, whispering words only the man could hear.

"Ace. Portgas D. Ace."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE'RE GETTING SOMEWHERE IN THE STORY PEOPLE! /APPLAUSE/
> 
> And yes. Buggy will be important. 3
> 
> I would love it if you reviewed, even if it's a measly couple of words. It reminds me that you guys still wanna hear more, and it makes me super happy :D
> 
> -KayaaHiko


	7. Chapter 7

"Ace. Portgas D. Ace."

The barkeep stood there, mouth slightly agape, the obvious expression on his face showing that he had no idea on how to respond to what the young man in front of him had just proclaimed. Not giving the barkeep time to ask any more questions, Ace nodded his head, turning away and swiftly making his exit. Focusing his eyes on the street in front of him, he had to wince, the sunlight beaming off his eyes onto his freckles.

_"Wow, that was a stupid thing to do. He's going to tell someone."_

"He won't." Ace stated simply, pulling the cloaks hood further over his head to hide his face.

_"You're just guessing again, aren't you."_

"…"

Giving the voice a quick glare, he chose not to respond. He knew very well what would happen if the Marines found out that he was alive this early in his search, and none of them were even close to decent. Looking around to see if the coast was clear, Ace blended into the crowds again; making his way back towards the sea.

However the thoughts of the previous conversation kept ringing through Ace's mind.

_/"This used ta' be an island protected by tha' Whitebeard Pirates. After his death two years ago, this island was left un-protected. The Marines thought that it would be a good chance ta' punish us for allying with pirates, so they wiped part of this island's population as a warning."/_

He was pissed. Maybe pissed is under-exaggerating.

Because, as soon as he found his Crew and Luffy, he was going to make sure he'd find Blackbeard and make that bastard pay for what he had done.

Catching the irritated look on the fire-thrower's face, the Voice bit down on its lip. Muttering under its breath. " _I guess you really don't learn, do you._ "

Startling him from his thoughts, the sound of cannon fire immediately caught Ace's eyes and ears, including anyone within range. People started to scream and run, dropping all their belongings, making their way to shelter. In the midst of it all, Ace stood there, a scowl on his face as he looked around for the source of the noise.

" _Gyahahahaha_!"

Eyebrows rising with recognition, Ace turned round to see the clown which was previously gloating in the Tavern before. The clown stood in the opening of the town gates, an arm crossed across his chest as he smugly laughed, a floating arm pointing towards the townspeople who were still running.

"Run in fear, for it is  _me_! The Clown Star Buggy!"

_"Woah, that's a huge red nose. Is he an idiot?"_

Glancing over to the figure of the Voice, Ace laughed, slowly staring back at the loudly proclaimed clown. "He's harmless really. I met him back in Paradise while I was searching for Blackbeard. Never thought he actually had the balls to make it this far into the Grandline though."

_"So I'm guessing he would recognize you?"_

Ace nodded. "If I'm correct, I thought I saw him at Marineford, so there's a good chance that he doesn't only recognize me, but knows who I am and that I-"

_"…that you died?"_

Clearing his throat, Ace slightly lowered his head, his eyes glazed over. "Yeah. That I died."

_"You should stay away from him then."_

Silently agreeing, Ace turned around, walking in the opposite direction of Buggy; ignoring all sounds coming from the clown.

"You there!"

"…"

"I'm talking to  _you_ , the one in the white hood!"

_"Looks like he's already spotted you."_

Twitching, Ace briefly looked back at the clown before halting, a silent and agitated "What?" spilling from his mouth.

A grin passed across Buggy's face, as he cockily staggered over to the cloaked man, before poking him in the chest. "I saw you before. You were the one who ignored me in the Tavern before weren't you!"

Stepping back, Ace lowered his head, trying to edge away from the clown as much as possible without punching him. Trying hard to swallow his pride, Ace nodded before sending a weak smile towards the clown. "Uh, yeah. Sorry about that!" Sending his hand up as a signal that he was going to leave, Ace shot the clown one last smile before legging it down the street, ignoring the cries of the pirates behind him.

"Stop him!"

_Oh shit._

This is not something he needed right now.

Looking towards his fist, he tried his best to ignore the voice in his head that was yelling at him:  _"Fight back!" ... "Why are you running away?!"_

Sounds of gunfire pierced the background as Ace came to a halt.

"Do you even  _know_ who you're messing with Brat?!"

Ace turned to face Buggy, the cloak still covering a majority of his face, a scowl forming.

"You  _dare_ to run away from  _me_?! I am the flashiest of all pir-"

Tuning out of the clown's words, Ace sighed; thinking of ways he could get out of this 'confrontation'.

"I was once the  _strongest_ pirate in all of East Bl-"

 _Maybe just a punch will knock out this guy._ Ace looked Buggy up and down, assessing how powerful he was. Sure, the clown looked pitiful, but it wasn't wise to go round judging people on how they looked in the Grandline; if you did- you wouldn't last long.

"-he pirate who is hunting down the all famous Monkey D. Luffy-"

Twitch.

_What was that?_

Blinking a few times, Ace tuned back into what the fellow pirate was saying, a more curious look appearing on his face. "Luffy? You're hunting down Luffy?"

"Aha! So that's what got your attention, was it?!" Pointing his red nose up towards the sky, Buggy closed his eyes, smugly declaring to the cloaked man. "Once I get my hands on Dragon's Son!"

"…"

"The whole world-"

"…"

"-will bow down to  _me_! Gyahahaha!"

"…"

"Eh?!" Peeking one eye open, Buggy stared at the silent figure, waiting for some kind of reaction coming from him.

The cloaked man had his face peering to the floor. "So let me get this straight."

Buggy unknowingly took a slight step back, unnerved by the tone of voice the figure used. However, that wasn't the only thing that startled the man. Not only was he threatened by the tone he was using, but the voice itself- it was familiar. "Y-yeah?"

"Right now, you're hunting down Monkey D. Luffy?" Buggy didn't have to see the man's face to know that the figure was murderously glaring at him, shaking as the figure looked towards him.

Clearing his throat before nodding, Buggy let out a silent yelp. "Y-Y-Yes-s that's. That's right."

Ace smirked. "Heh. You see, I can't let you do that."

Pointing at the man despite his shaking, Buggy tried to intimidate the man-  _though, he was very much failing._ "Oh?! And who is it that says I can't?!"

" _Don't do what I think you're gonna do, idiot."_ The Voice commented, sighing as it leaned against the wall, closing its eyes.

"What kind of brother would I be if I allowed you to walk away now with all moving limbs?" Ace dangerously smiled innocently at the clown, causing the said person to back up more, shaking from fear.

"B-brother?" Buggy yelped. "Strawhat's brother died in the w-war. You'd be deluded to think t-t-that you're him."

Ace raised an eyebrow, smirk still easily visible on his lips. "Oh?"

" _Don't do it. It'll only get you into more crap you're already in. Just let it go._ " _  
_

Choosing to ignore the voice's comment, Ace slowly lit his hand on fire from underneath the cloak, taking a few steps towards the clown.

Quickly taking one of his knives from his sleeve, Buggy threw the knife at the cloaked figure, laughing half-heartedly as the figure stayed in place, not bothering to move from his spot.

 _However_ , what Buggy didn't expect was for the knife to go through the figure, only to be covered up by enticing flames which danced upon the figure's skin. Dropping his hands to his waist, Buggy stared with fright at the figure, his nose running as a stutter of words fell out of his mouth.

"N-N-No th-thash-that can't-"

Pulling back the hood to his cloak, Ace glared at the shaking clown before grabbing a hold the scuff of Buggy's neck. "Seeing as you are hunting him right now, care to tell me where Luffy is?"

Buggy yelped. "B-bu-t yo-ou di-ed! Y-you're dead!"

Smirking, Ace stared at the man's eyes, letting out a soft chuckle. "Not anymore."

* * *

**_'TWO & A HALF YEARS PASSED SINCE MARINEFORD LOSS'_ **

Robin stared down at the paper's headline, frowning. She slowly glanced over to her Captain who was staring over the side of the ship, unnaturally calm and quiet.

Despite how much he tried to hide it, all of the crew could see it in his eyes, the way he would stare down at his scar; the constant reminder of what happened all those years ago. The bumbling captain they had before the war fading away for a few moments at a time, leaving a lost brother.

The worst thing was, was that she knew exactly how he felt. The guilt, the loneliness felt despite the people surrounding you. It was something she would never wish on anyone. Especially not her saviour; her captain.

Settling the paper on the grass below her, she traipsed over where her captain was leaning, offering comfort, without saying a word.

Noticing her presence, Luffy quickly looked over his shoulder before grinning. "Robin!"

Smiling, she leaned her hand onto the rail of the ship. "Luffy, I was just wondering what you were doing over here."

"Oh?" Luffy tilted his head, his eyes blank. "It was nothing." Gazing out onto the water once more, he held Robin's shoulder before leaping back. Shooting her one last smile, silently thanking her for the comfort, he went off to search for Sanji, leaving Robin who continued to gaze at the sea. Her smile fell, the worries for her captain still spiralling in her mind.

In the distance, the sight of an island caught her eyes, quickly looking up to see their well-known liar jumping up and down, screaming "Luffy! Dressrosa is up a head!"

" _Dressrosa._ " A silent whisper came from her lips, as her sight returned to the island. Closing her eyes, she thought about the events that were laying ahead; hoping that this would be a calm and peaceful exchange.

Smiling once more, she headed to where the rest of the crew were, leaving behind the newspaper on the floor.

What was she talking about?

When it came to this crew, their adventures were anything but calm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *DUN DUN DUNN* ACE HAS BEEN FOUND OUT - By Buggy. Though Buggy was screwed the moment he mentioned to Ace he was going to hunt down his brother. Almost feel sorry for the guy. Almost. Also, I had to add in Ace's stupid –"I can't run away from any fights~! :D" attitude.& Luffy's finally made an appearance!
> 
> As I said in the previous chapter, this is an AU story, so here are just some things I want to get across so it's not too confusing.
> 
> 1) Yes. Ace's devil fruit is still out there. And yes. Ace still has his ability.
> 
> 2) The Strawhat Crew and Law are still on their way to Dressrosa.
> 
> 3) There is NO parings in this story. I am sorry. I really suck at writing pairing stories.
> 
> 4) There is a solid ending to this story. Yeah sure there are some things which I have no idea how I am going to write, but there will be an ending to this story. Is it near? Well...
> 
> -KayaaHiko


	8. Chapter 8

Luffy sat on the head of Sunny, a smile radiating off his face as he watched his ship draw nearer to the island ahead. He had re-called Nami saying that they would arrive there by the morning, but that didn't stop the anticipation of the island growing closer to him fade.

_Adventure._

That was what this island screamed. It screamed to him to come closer, to find out everything; find out all the fun mysteries, all the secrets, what it is  _hiding_.

Grinning, the teen sat swayed, his excitement bubbling out in energy.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it; something about this island told him he would leave different, leave changed. Was it his intuition maybe? He remembers Ace saying that his intuition died a long time ago, maybe he was lying?

Suddenly Luffy's face scrunched up, his knuckles pressing hard into the lion's head.  _Ace._

That one word; that one name triggered off all of Luffy's emotions in one small second, unlike any other name knows off.

_Sabo._

Maybe that wasn't entirely true.

It wasn't only Ace that had died fighting for his freedom. After all, wasn't Sabo part of the reason he wanted to complete his dream- being as free as he could be?

Shaking his head, Luffy sighed, his gaze returning back onto the island ahead of him. All this thinking was making his head hurt and bringing back memories he would rather forg-

_No._

_-store away_  for the time being.

What had made him think of them? It'd been a while since he'd been lost in thought like that, trying his best to distract himself since the events of Marineford. Looking back to face his energetic crew behind him, he smiled, reminding himself of the adventure that lay before them.

Giving them all a toothy-grin, Luffy jumped down from the Sunny's head, running over to where all his crew had gathered, all looking rather shocked. Raising his eyebrow, Luffy looked over the side of Zoro's shoulder before slightly pushing past him, getting a better look at what they were all staring at. There, on the grassy ground in front of them, lay a scrunched up newspaper, with a bold headline catching everyone's attention.

**_'DONQUIXOTE DOLFLAMINGO RELINQUISHES HIS TITLE OF SHICHIBUKAI'_ **

* * *

Ace couldn't lie and say that he didn't find the clown's reaction hilarious.

In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that the clown had just previously threatened Luffy's life then he would have been quickly on the floor laughing, unable to contain himself.

_"...Where are we?"_

Pulling his gaze away from the sea in front of him, Ace turned his head to look directly at the Voice's face, his eyes wincing as his thoughts cleared. "Weren't you there? I can easily remember you bickering in the background back when we were in the town." He smirked turning his whole body around the face it, body leaning against the rail.

The Voice audibly sighed, it's eyes glued hazily to the sea. " _That's not what I meant._ _"_  It glanced to the side, facing the sea. " _I mean, how did we get on this ship?_ "

Raising his eyebrow, he gave a half-hearted laugh, sending the voice a smile. "You look like you've never been on a proper pirate ship before. Not that I care, afterall, you've been stalking me for who knows how long."

Glaring, the voice pouted. " _I haven't. It sucks that it has to be with them though._ _"_ Slowly, the Voice lifted up its hand, pointing to the shaking clown in the corner.

Smirking, Ace slightly pointed to Buggy. "Oh, you have a problem with clowns?"

_"Well there would be no problem if we weren't on this ship. I don't get why we need to travel with them in the first place."_

"'Cause he knows where Luffy is. Simple as that." Ace bluntly stated lowering his hand.

_"With your luck, that clown is probably lying."_

Twitching a little, he shrugged, turning back around the gaze at the sea, resting his head on his palm. "Well it's the best shot we've got."

A shadow quickly walked up to Ace, stammering as his voice shook, fear obviously building up in his body. "O-O-Oi! Y-You there!" Ace once again turned his head to face the shuddering figure, only to be met with a finger-pointing at his face, the cowardly clown behind it. "Yo-You've done nothing but loiter around f-for two days! If you want to s-stay on this ship you better start w-working o-or else we'll chuck you overboard!" The clown loudly declared at Ace, his followers cheering behind him.

"..."

Staring at the clown, Ace remained to have a clear face, void of any emotion as he continued to stare blankly.

Shivering, Buggy yelped a little, before laughing, lightly patting the fire-user on the back sweat drops easily forming on anyone around them. "I-I mean tha-that's if you want to w-work!" Buggy started to shake his head fast.

"N-nobody here is going...going to force you...so if you don't mind me. I'm -I'm just going to go over there." And with that, the clown quickly lept away from Ace.

Laughing, Ace turned to see the Voice looking quite amused itself, as he sighed. "I'm pretty sure he's not lying."

_"Agreed."_

A shout from above caught the duo's attention, the sound coming from a sailor pointing forwards. " _Captain_! I can see Dressrosa up ahead! "

All his courage suddenly bouncing back, Buggy laughed, crew mates surrounding him as they cheered.

"Dressrosa?" Ace suddenly beamed, his eyes quickly looking over to the small island ahead of them, his whole face lighting up. "Isn't that where Luffy's suppose to be?"

_"If I remember hearing correctly, that's where the clown said that Luffy and a 'Trafalgar Law' were headed."_

"So you  _were_  listening." Ace stated, smiling as the Voice turned away annoyed. His eyes wandered back onto the island as they started to fade, memories of their childhood swarming his vision.

/  _"A-Ace!"_

_A sound called the freckled teen from behind, as he halted in his steps turning around."Huh?"_

_A younger boy ran up to him, clearly out of breath as he shot the teen a relived grin before bending over as he rested on his knee's. Tears suddenly started to swell in the younger boys eyes as he started to whimper."Y-You were walking too fast! I- thought for a second that had I lost you!"_

_Turning around to fully face the boy the teen smirked, walking up to the boy as he bent down to face the youngster. "You couldn't keep up with me?"  
_

_The boy slowly shook his head, trying his best to hold back his tears and be a man.  
_

_The teen's smirk softened, his facial feature turning into a smile as he reached over to grab the boy's hand, getting the boys attention. "Damn, I guess we'll have to walk together then." Slowly pulling the boy along, the teen looked down to give the boy a gentle smile (one that was not common on the older's face) as the younger stared at him with widened eyes._

_Realization finally covered the boy's face as he grinned hugely, tightly gripping onto his brothers hand as he nodded. "Kay!"  
_

_Both of them continued to walk through the forest, the only sound being the soft humming of the youngest, swinging his hand which was still held in the older's. "Hey, Ace?"_

_Looking down, Ace brought all his attention to the boy. "What is it?"_

_Luffy's lip trembled. "Promise not to get lost again. 'Kay?"_

_Ace's eyebrow lifted, a hint of surprise showing in his face. He certainly didn't expect his brother to ask such a serious question. Suddenly his fist landed on the boys head, as he shouted at Luffy with a hint of laughter. "You idiot! You were the one that got lost!"_

_Bringing his hand up to his 'now' throbbing head, the youngster pouted mumbling under his breath. "Big meanie Ace."_

_Looking back forward, Ace smiled, as he silently muttered under his breath. "Fine, I promise."_

_Wide eyes directed at Ace, before a giggling noise being hear below as the boy let go of his brothers hand and ran forward, shouting to him behind. "I heard you!"_

_Twitching and going red from embarrassment, he quickly ran after the boy. /_

Ace's blurred vision returned, the island barely visible in the distance. His smile dropped, as his gaze saddened. "I broke a lot of promises. Didn't I, Luffy?"

 _"That's not true."_ Jumping from his thoughts, he quickly looked to his left to find the Voice gazing over the sea as well, it's face mirroring Ace's.

_"You're still here, aren't you?"_

Staring, Ace nodded. "Yeah, I am. And I have no idea why."

* * *

Marco stared at his crew which had finally gathered in front of him, preparations of docking finally complete. His half opened eyes slowly scrolled over to the island in front of him, glancing at the dolls and toys which were living among the townspeople. He wasn't typically surprised like the other crew members were, it not been the first time to have docked on this island. He wasn't exactly thrilled either to find out that island they were sailing too was Dressrosa, meaning that finding the  _bastard_  who was at Ace's grave was going to be harder to find.

His thoughts were quickly disbanded, for a hand reached out to shake his shoulder, turning round to find Haruta standing there, her face drowned in sorrow. "I think you should have a look at this." Reaching for the object which was placed under her arm, she passed Marco a folded newspaper that was labeled as the Dressrosa's daily newspaper.

Slightly raising his eyebrow, Marco nodded, taking a hold of the paper as he slowly opened it, his eyes widening.

_**'PRIZE FOR TOURNAMENT REVEALED: LEGENDARY MERA MERA NO MI FRUIT'** _

Marco started to harshly grip the ends of the newspaper he was holding, silent as no expression showed on his face. Gently shoving the newspaper back in Haruta's hand, he nodded, stepping onto land along with the others as he walked away into the town without saying a word.

It didn't take long for him to find the colossuem where the tournament was said to take place, halting in front of its looming statue, staring at it with a hint of anger.

He wasn't certain if Ace's body being snatched and his devil fruit being re-revealed was a coincidence, but he was certain of one thing.

He wasn't going to let just anybody have Ace's devil fruit, not if he had anything to do with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH. HSHJAHJAHUYUHDD. I wrote that chapter while eating extremely spicy foods. I officially think that my taste senses are dead now.
> 
> So! Luffy, Marco and Ace were all in this chapter! Sorry for such a small appearance from Marco, but hey, look. They're all headed for Dressrosa :D  
> -KayaaHiko


	9. Chapter 9

 

"Ace's, Devil Fruit?"

Luffy stood there, his eyes widening as he stared at the man in front of him, speechless. His mind started to carry him away, ignoring he man who began to explain how Devil Fruit User's fruits live on after their death, re-growing in a different places.

"-after Ace's death in utmost secret, the Master got hold of the re-grown Mera Mera Fruit!" Laughing, the man proclaimed to the straw-hatted boy, unable to sense the tension in the air. "To think he'd use a Logia Fruit as a prize for his business!"

Laughing yet again, the man slapped his knees. "I just don't get him! If I had an amazing Fruit like that one, I could easily change my life around!"

The unusually quiet captain raised his head, his pupils clearing. Slamming his foot into the ground as he held his fists up to the man, fury shrouded his eyes. " _L_ _ike I would let you eat it_!"

Taken back by his sudden proclamation, Franky raised an eyebrow, before his eyes slightly widened. "Ah." He shook his head, now understanding why his captain had been silent the whole time. "That's right. How could I forget? Ace is your…"

Before he had time to finish what he was saying, Luffy grabbed the man by his collar, his pupils still shaking as he screamed in the man's face. "I-I want it! The Mera Mera Fruit!"

Silence shook the small street, as both the man and Franky stared at the teen in surprise. "O-Oi. Luffy-bro. You know that you-"

Luffy quickly interrupted Franky again, stating the question that the cyborg was about to ask. "I-I've already got my Gomu Gomu Fruit, so I can't eat it." The straw-hatted boy looked back down onto the ground, his fists clenched and shading to the color black. "But, I don't want Ace's ability to be taken by just anyone!" His eyes started to swell up as memories clouded his flooded eyes, recalling their meeting in Alabasta.

Back then, even Luffy could tell how proud Ace was when he got his Devil Fruit, knowing well that his brother had told him countless times in the past how much he would love to find a Devil Fruit for himself.

And now, someone was daring to take away something his brother held precious to him. Something that  _only_ Ace should've had.

"I'm going to win it."

The man in front of him winced at his words, fright trembling through him as he tried to escape the boy's grip. "What?"

Looking the man in the eye, Luffy clenched his fist; his eyes filling with determination. "I'm going to win Ace's Devil Fruit. There's no way that I'm going to let anyone else is going to have it!"

Laughing bellowed at the side of Luffy, as the cyborg nodded in agreement, obviously over-joyed by his captain's statement.

"You're crazy! You shouldn't underestimate our Master!" The man stuttered back, though his words simply bounced off the rubber-captain's ears.

Franky, crossed his arms over his chest, a chuckle passing from his lips. "I hate to break it, but the term  _crazy_  is something which is associated with our captain a lot. Doesn't seem to bother him or us at all."

With his eyes shadowed, Luffy continued to stare into the man's eyes. Lifting the glasses he once had on against his face, Luffy turned to his companion, a calmer look washing down his eyes as he gave Franky a light smile. "Franky, do you want it?"

Franky stared at his captain, a slight hint of surprise and gratitude hidden in his eyes by his glasses. Mirroring his captain's smile before turning it into a full teethed grin, he laughed. "Nah, I'm good thanks. I'd rather be able to swim." Looking at the tint of disappointment in Luffy's eyes, he raised his fist. "Though let me tell you this. Whatever you do, don't let this chance get away!" Lowering his fist, he was glad to see his captain's attention fully on what the cyborg had just said, as he stood firmly, giving another little chuckle. "Besides, If you don't do this now then you'll regret it later. After-all, we have business at the colosseum anyway."

Nodding at his own proposal, he leaned in a little closer to Luffy. "If we don't do this, It'll just make things boring!"

Slowly lifting his face, Luffy threw Franky a huge grin, fist pumping the sky. "You're right!" Turning to face the narrow end of the street, the teen nodded at Franky before they started to run, Luffy's fist still in the air. "Yosh! Let's do this!" Letting his fist fall to the ground, his eyes started to glaze, a sad smile on his lips.

_Don't worry Ace. I'll win this for you!_

* * *

"We're finally here."

_"That- took forever."_

"Oh?" Ace turned to face the Voice, smirking. "You didn't enjoy your first journey on a pirate ship?"

Twitching, the Voice turned away, scowling.  _"Shut up."_ Looking away from the of the freckled man, it's eyes suddenly widened at the sight of the suspicious wooden objects walking around the harbour.  _"...What is that?"_

"Hm?" Looking at the direction of the Voice's gaze, Ace lifted his eyebrow. "Are those? Are those  _toys_?" He questioned with a mixture of disbelief and amusement in his voice.

Before the Voice had time to answer, Ace was toppled over by a hurrying flash of brown, green and white. The flash-  _no_  person quickly apologised, running off into the midst of the town center, disappearing from their sights. Looking down at the fallen commander, the Voice laughed; looking at the bewildered expression written on Ace's face.

"..."

 _N-No way. That couldn't have been- t_ he commander stayed silent; lost in his thoughts, not even choosing to glance up at the laughing figure. This caused the said figure to raise an eyebrow and properly examine the fire-thrower's expression. He looked startled, like he himself had seen a ghost as he slowly raised himself of the ground, still silent.

_"What's wrong?"_

Jumping from the question, he blinked, turning to face the Voice. "Uh, nothing." The silent whisper came from his lips as he raised his hand to shake his head, sighing.

"Just losing it. Nothing too out of the ordinary." He chuckled, sending the Voice yet another smirk as his attention was caught by the toys again.

Deciding not to comment on that,  _declaration_ the Voice drew its attention to the toys as well, tilting its head a little as it stuttered, trying to find the right words to ask.  _"H-how are they walking around like that?"_

"Believe it or not, I was just about to ask you the same thing." Ace replied, nodding. His eyes suddenly sparked up with recognition, turning to face the Voice with his finger pointed up. "I've got it!"

_"Really?"_

Placing his fist in his hand, he replied with his head back, laughing. "It's a mystery."

Sighing, the Voice decided to ignore the childish fire-thrower, starting to walk forward before it's eyes halted on a certain object on the ground.  _"It looks like that person dropped something when they banged into you."_

Silencing his laugh, Ace walked past the Voice as his eye's too fell in the object waving on the ground, his fingers gripping onto the damp edges of the pages.

Staring at the bold headline, his eyes widened; his face totally and utterly blank.

_**'PRIZE FOR TOURNAMENT REVEALED: LEGENDARY MERA MERA NO MI FRUIT'** _

..."Eh?"

* * *

Haruta tried her best to hold onto the tears which were longing to fall from her eyes, her body shaking; as she watched her captain run off the ship, into the town.

A thousand different feelings wound up inside of her chest, her breathing becoming short and her eyes stinging.

She'd stupidly led herself to believe that ever since they'd left that island, that Ace was  _somehow_  alive.

But that one little hope was now  _shattered_. She was wrong _._

So wrong about everything. About Ace's grave. He hadn't come back. He hadn't mysteriously blasted himself from inside the grave. He  _wasn't_ alive.

Giving up on the tremendous force coming from her eyes, she started to sob, leaning back on the rail as he lifted her hand to hide her eyes, the tears smothering down their cheeks and onto the ground. Letting out a high pitch wail, she continued to cry, her grip hardening even more on the newspaper.

She suddenly felt her feet moving-  _running_  as she jumped off the ship despite the shouts from behind her, down the streets of the highly decorated harbor. The tears started to drift behind her, causing her sight to blur. Before she knew it, she tumbled sharply into a figure dressed in - _a cloak?_ losing grip on the newspaper in her hand. "S-Sorry!" Holding up a hand in apology, she continued running, deciding not to glance at the stranger she had previously crashed into as her steps became lighter and slower.

Breathing harshly, she griped the center of her blouse, her pupils shaking and her face sodden. Taking one deep breath, she lifted her face up to take in her surroundings,  _ignoring the toys which were unusually walking and talking around,_ as her thoughts caught up to her.

Where was she now?

She hadn't  _exactly_  thought up a destination back when she departed from the did more of a blind-running-stumbling into people- kind of destination, and now she was lost.

And it must've showed, as someone gripped her shoulder from behind. Instantly freeing her from her thoughts and causing her instincts to flare up, she turned around, her eyes narrowing.

The stranger immediately putting it's,  _no-_ his hands up in defense in front of his face, he laughed, stepping back.

"H-Hey! Don't give me that look! Look." He slowly lowered his hands down, causing Haruta to become more calmer, her gaze softening a bit.

Just a little.

"W-What do you want?" She glared at the man, trying to intimidate him. Though due to the tears running down her cheek and snot which was peeking out of her nose, she probably looked more like a harmless lost child than a brute fighter.

Giving the girl a smile, the man chuckled. "You were just standing there in the middle of the court looking startled and scared. Figured someone should check if you're alright." He turned to look back at the shaking girl, his face coming into the sunlight.

Only then did Haruta realize the painful penetrating scar which smothered part of the stranger's face, causing her pupils to widen slightly. She slowly pointed to it,  _ignoring all comments which would tell her it is rude to ask,_  curiosity glazed in her eyes.

"Huh?" Lowering his hand, his eyes widened, his face clearly showing he was not expecting such a blunt reaction. Surprise gone, he simply smiled politely again, bringing his finger over his lips in a hushed voice. "This? It's a secret."

Raising her eyebrows, she sighed, giving him a bored and expressionless look. "Well, that's boring." She huffed, stretching her arms out above her head.

Finding her statement funny, the stranger laughed, leaning in closer to the girl. "You're wrong! It's the complete opposite! I personally think it makes it more interesting. Life is always more fun when there's a mystery, no?"

Tilting her head, Haruta smiled slightly, finding herself nodding. Ignoring the fact she didn't know who this stranger was, her instincts were telling her something. That he was certainly a,  _s_ _pecial someone_. After all, not a lot of people were known to keep Haruta distracted for long at all, let alone from her feelings.

Realization suddenly peeked in the stranger's eyes as he sighed looking down, mumbling a bunch of muffled words under his breath. Gazing back up at the girl in front of her, he held out his hand. "You'll have to excuse my terrible manners. I haven't even asked your name yet."

Staring back at the eyes which gazed at her,  _similar to eyes she had seen before,_ she glanced down at the hand reaching out to her, lightly grabbing a hold of it as she slowly replied. "Haruta. My name is Haruta."

Shaking the slightly trembling hand gently, the stranger never lost his toothy grin, before proclaiming loudly back at the girl. "Well, It is a pleasure to meet you Haruta. As for me, you can call me Sabo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TAADAA.
> 
> Can I just say. So much shit could have been avoided if she only looked back. /flings computer at Haruta/
> 
> There will be Marco in the next chapter! Instead you got Haruta and Sabo. :D Yes, I know. The Ace part was short- But he is in around 80% of the plot in the future.


	10. Chapter 10

**_'PRIZE FOR TOURNAMENT REVEALED: LEGENDARY MERA MERA NO MI FRUIT'_ **

"...Eh?"

_"What's wrong?"_

Ace stood there, frozen to the ground, his pupils scanning the article with speed; ignoring all the sounds of the street behind him.

 _"O-oi. Pirate."_  The Voice called out again, concerned at the lack of response.

Re-reading the of words again, he settled the newspaper by the side of him, bringing his hand up into view. Easily, he was able to conjure up fire, the flames dancing around his fingers. "My Devil-Fruit, it's a prize for a tournament being held here." He whispered quietly, keeping his voice low so passerbys didn't hear. Dispersing his flames, he threw the newspaper back on the ground as he faced the Voice.

_"That's possible? I thought two Devil-Fruit users couldn't exist at the same time."  
_

Ace clenched his knuckles, his glare hitting the cobbled stones of the street. "That's what I thought too. Only one can exist at once."

 _"So what are you 'gonna do?"_ The Voice's eyebrow raised, it's eyes narrowing at the freckled man.

Whipping his head around to face the Voice, he frowned. "If Buggy was telling the truth, then Luffy is on this island right now. And if he sees that, then.." His voice trailed off, his teeth grinding.

Taking a slight step back, the Voice's words stuttered for a second, going unnoticed by Ace. " _A-And_ _what of it? It's just a fruit."_

Scowling at the direction of the Voice, he ignored it, starting to walk on forward, pushing through the countless crowds and toys which stuffed the small streets.

_"Where are you going?!"_

"I'm going to find Lu." He replied bluntly, his face still looking towards the narrow ends of the route.

_"And you expect to find him where?"_

"..."

All Ace could do was praythat Luffy hadn't seen that newspaper. He couldn't let his brother get hurt again because of him, especially not to something like this.

Not only was that bad enough, but now  _his_ Mera-Mera No Mi Fruit was now being  _some-kind of prize?_  in this pathetic tournament held by this countries king?

Like he was going to let that happen.

* * *

Vista hated this.

He hated that not only was their brother's  _body_  missing from his grave, but his  _Devil-Fruit_ was now being campaigned off as a prize for a ridiculous tournament held in a ridiculous city.

And now he was stuck there, given the task of finding his fuming captain and his sister who ran off without a trace.

So when he spotted the familiar blonde scruff of hair in the distance, he gave a sigh of relief, pushing through all the crowds; screaming out his captain's name despite the on-lookers.

"Marco!"

Relieved that the person bearing the blond hair turned around immediately, Vista smiled; only to be met with the same grieving face the blonde had been wearing since the island.

"Vista? What are you doing here?"

Breathing heavily, Vista stood beside his captain, looking up at him with confusion. "Everyone's worried about where you had gone. You know, you really shouldn't leave us standing there like that." Even though that Marco was now his captain, the formalities seemed to rarely change from when they were before, some even refusing to accept what had happened to their previous captain.

Marco stared down at his brother, his eyes still blanked and frozen. Turning towards the queue that he lined up in he stepped further. "I'm entering the tournament."

"Enter- the tour-na-ment..." Vista slowly processed, blinking a few times. Understanding his captains objective, Vista straightened his back, sighing. "Are you sure you want to do that Captain? It's not like you're just any rookie, people  _will_ recognize you, you'll be bringing in un-wanted attention."

"I understand that." Marco immediately shot back, taking yet another step forward, his eyes still glued to Vista.

"It's something, something that I have to do." Only now did the phoenix's eyes leave his brother, and instantly onto another person- _two_ people in fact. They stood there in front of him, one easily standing out as a  _giant?_  and other as an elderly man. Or so it seemed so to a blind eye.

Vista stared in the same direction of his captain, raising an eyebrow as he too saw easily through their disguises.

The 'elderly man' approached the assistant on hand, followed by the 'giant'. "My name is Lu-"

Vista instantly looked back to his captain, ignoring the 'giant' banging the elderly man on the head harshly in the background, as his thoughts tried to catch up with him. "You don't think that that's-"

"It's him alright." Marco interrupted, his eyes still staring straight at the duo, narrowing them as they parted, the older heading off into the arena. "It looks like Ace's brother is here as well."

Closing his eyes, Vista leaned against a pillar, his face directed towards the floor. "So, what are you going to do now? You can't exactly go and beat the kid up, he's here for the same reason you are."

"..."

A crash suddenly interrupted their conversation, people surrounding the area starting to scream. Vista quickly re-opened his eyes, turning around to the direction of the sound, staring at the group of people which surrounded an area of the ground.

"-one's fallen!"

"I-Is he dead?"

"You idiot! No-one can survive a fall from that height!"

"H-He's bleeding."

Vista blinked a few times, questioning whether he should go other as well to see if the person was alright-  _but who was he kidding_. Taking one glance at the height of the colosseum, it was clear that nobody would survive a fall like that.

Turning around to resume his talk with Marco, he was left staring at a blank space; his captain already gone. Sighing, he shook his head, slowly making his way over to where the crowd was gathering; pushing his way through the get a better look at the person.

Staring at his face, Vista's world seemed to freeze.

"N-No. It can't be."

* * *

_"Listen to me pirate!"_

In the far-off distance, a looming figure in the shape of a colosseum stood, Ace's blood beginning to boil at the sight of it. Pulling his cloak further over his head, his pupils darted everywhere, scanning the area for any sign of entry to the building, his eyes lighting up when seeing a public entrance to spectators.

His eyes quickly returned to a glare when the figure to the Voice popped up in front of him, mirroring the same glare he had.  _"Don't go in there."_

"What?" He exclaimed, gliding straight _through_  the figure and back towards the entrance.

Appearing once again before Ace, the Voice held it's hand up in front of him.  _"I'm telling you, It's a bad idea. Don't go in there."_

His eyebrow twitched, walking again through the Voice. "If there is a possibility that Luffy is in that building then I am going in. Simple as that. So if you're going to continue to stalk me, do so with your mouth shut."

Seeming to do the trick, the Voice went silent, following Ace as he went through the guards and onto the steps of the arena; barely getting a space to stand on the top row.

_"Damn, this place is crowded. It seems like a lot of people want to witness the fight for that Fruit."_

Twitching, Ace leaned against the top window, muttering countless things under his breath. "It shouldn't even be here in the first place."

_"You died. Once a Devil-Fruit user dies, isn't it ordinary for their Fruit to grow once more?"  
_

Twitch. "But I'm not dead-  _anymore_. And I can use my Devil Fruit, so it shouldn't even exist."

 _"Hmph."_ The Voice mumbled for a second, staring directly at the approaching duo of ladies, dragging along a hidden glass case, along with a ridiculous looking gladiator.

Speaking into a transponder snail, everyone around deemed to be quiet, listening with glee at the words he spoke.

**"TODAY WE COME WITH A RARE AND SHOCKING ITEM, ONE THAT THE KING HAS DEEMED SUITABLE FOR SUCH A PRIZE!** **THERE WAS A MAN WHO LOST HIS LIFE IN THE MARINEFORD WAR TWO YEARS AGO- THE PIRATE KING'S SON!"**

Ace twitched, trying hard to control his anger.

**"THE NOW LEGENDARY 2ND COMMANDER OF THE WHITEBEARD PIRATES- ACE!"**

" _Tch. This is stupid._ "

**"IT IS SAID HIS FIERY FISTS PIERCED THROUGH BATTLESHIPS, BURNED CITIES AND CHANGED THEM INTO HELL ON EARTH!"**

Another mumble could be heard from the Voice, causing the said commander to shoot it a death glare.

**"THAT AMAZING ABILITY HAS ONCE AGAIN BECOME A DEVIL'S FRUIT AND RE-APPEARED IN THIS WORLD! BEHOLD!"**

Drawing all his attention towards the covered glass case, he inwardly shuddered, bracing himself for what he was about to see. After all, it wasn't like he was expecting to see the Fruit again; that was the last thing on his mind when he first ate it. Hearing the Voice speak once more, Ace glanced away from the fruit.

_"I can't allow you to see it."_

Ace raised his eyebrows, staring at the figure with wide eyes. "What?"

_"Try to forgive me for what I'm about to do."_

Unsure of what it meant, Ace continued to stare at it. "Do what?"

As those words left his mouth, it's hand reached out took a hold of his cloak; surprising the fire-user at its touch, as it easily pushed him from his spot by the top window, pushing him out onto the open air.

Ace felt time freeze, the air unable to catch him as the gravity started to pull him down. Taking his last glance at the colossuem, he saw the figure peering at him with guilt, the sounds of the Fruit being revealed.

**"THE MERA MERA NO MI FRUIT!"**

Air started to gush by him, immediately bellowing a loud  _crack_  noise as he hit the floor with force, feeling his consciousness fade as his fingertips were met with blood flowing from his head; unable to make the noises around him make sense.

"S-Someone's fallen!"

Feeling his eyelids grow heavier, he was able to make say last word before the darkness took a hold of him again.

"S-Shit."


	11. Chapter 11

Vista stared at the immobile body that lay in front of him, his stare not leaving vacant face which belonged to it. Hastily making his way through the crowd, his hands began to shake, pushing the citizens out of his way. Gasping, his throat went dry, his own body becoming inches away from his fellow  _dead-_ brother.

His lips started to timidly shake as his let out a shuddering breath, ignoring the countless shouts from the people behind, his own voice stuttering with an edge of fright.

_"A-Ace?"_

"What did he say?"

"I think he said ache.."

"Wait, he's aching?"

"You idiot! Why would he say that?!"

Falling to his knees-  _crushing_ part of the ground below him, Vista's mouth hung still agape; his pupils trembling as his hand slowly reached out to the bleeding body.

He'd be lying if he said he was breathing when, suddenly, he felt warm air breathing off off Ace's skin; unlike the cold, icy touch the swordsman was expecting.

Putting his hand in front of the freckled man's mouth, his pupils widened with shock, his instincts instantly picking the man up and gently throwing him over his shoulder.

There was no way that was possible. If this man was indeed Ace-

-then how the hell was it possible that he was _breathing_?!

Yeah sure, _it wasn't_  a gasping breath which was clear to everyone that the man was living, but it was still a thin breath which escaped his lips.

And that was easily enough for Vista to sling the man over his shoulder and rush back towards the ship's medical bay, ignoring all the commotion of throwing Ace's  _alive_ body on board. He didn't care about questions, he didn't care about answers. All he cared about was helping what  _seemed_  to be his brother.

What he did not expect however, was for when he was to reach the bay for the ship he was previously running to _have disappeared._

"What? No, not now!" He yelled, feeling the body on the back of him begin to move.

Instinctively, he glanced back, nearly collapsing onto the floor when he saw two widened eyes mirroring his own staring back at him. Hastily running over to a shadowed spot, he dropped the man on the floor behind him, quickly turning round to face the  _previously_ collapsed body which happened to have the face of his deceased brother.

"Vista! What..." The said man questioned, his hand flying to the back of his head as he looked down at the floor below him.

Gulping, Vista tried his best to remain his composure, shaking in his spot. "A-Ace. No way. T-that can't be you?"

Looking back up from his stare, surely enough faced Vista was the all-too-familiar looks of his brother which he had come to dearly miss, his eyes staring at him with a hint of confusion and guilt.

Shaking his head, the man who looked like Ace weakly smiled. "Vista, is that really you?"

Not giving a second more of silence, Vista rushed over to his brother's side,  _ignoring all the comment's he would normally receive,_ as he flung his arms over the cloaked one's shoulders; his body still shaking. "It's a miracle!"

Surprised, Ace yelped a little, struggling for air as the swordsman hugged him harder. "Air, air Vista!  _I need to breathe-_ "

Letting go reluctantly, Vista's eyes shook, the tears over-flowing from his eyes. Sniffling, he brought a tissue close to his-  _moustache?_  before flinging it at the said fire-thrower.

"H-how are you even alive?! You died in front of all of us, there was no way you could survive a hit like that! Does this have to do with you not being in your grave? But that's impossible, someone stole you from there."

"Huh?" Ace immediately interrupted, getting up from where he was sat. "You were at th-  _my_ grave? When?"

"..."

"...Vista?"

Seemingly ignoring Ace's words, Vista continued. "...That can only mean one thing."

Clenching his fists in front of his darkened face, Vista stayed, glued silently to the floor.

Raising an eyebrow, Ace moved closer, reaching out to the now silent swordsman. "What can do you mean,  _one thing_?"

Staring, Vista un-sheathed his sword, grief stricken on his face. "I hope that somewhere, up there in the heavens, you can hear me Ace! I wont let anyone control your body like this! You bastard-!"

Barely dodging Vista's attack, Ace quickly leapt to the side, watching as the sword easily sliced through the wall which previously stood behind him; gulping as he met the glare that Vista was sending him. Raising his sword once more, he sent the next blazing attacks at Ace's figure, shattering every wall, building or furnishing surrounding the duo.

Gulping, Ace stared at Vista with widened eyes, uttering out two words which he seemed to be using a lot more recently.

"Oh shit."

* * *

Haruta's eyes were glued to the scarred man before her, her own lips testing out his name as she let go of his hand. "Sabo?"

Quickly responding to her question with a bow, he tipped his hat off rolling it into his other hand, straightening up his back as he plonked the top-hat back onto his shortened hair. "Yep, that's my name." He laughed, before slightly leaning forward towards the girl, his eyes examining her face. "May I ask what you were crying about before?"

Startled by his sudden question, she snapped out of her gaze and wiped her hand over her face, slightly grumbling under her breath as she peeled her eyes away, trying to look interested in a nearby lamp-post. "It's nothing." Obviously her efforts didn't work, for she could still feel the stare of Sabo piercing her. Sighing she turned to face the man once more, folding her hands over her chest. "Why should I tell you? We're strangers after all."

Placing a hand over his own chest, he sent her a half-hearted smile, leaning back a step. Chuckling slightly under his breath with laughter edging his tone, he re-took that step forward. "Ah Haruta, that hurts! You act like this is the first time a complete stranger has approached you kindly. Is it not normal for a gentlemen to ask a crying lady what is wrong?"

Blinking as she took a step back, Haruta's eyebrow twitched, the edges of her lips scowling.

Everyone who was acquaintanced with Haruta knew very well that the term  _lady_  did not sit well with her. After all, being surrounded by a crew full of men, one does not tend to pick up lady-like habits.

"Do I look that upset to you?" She said with a twitch of threat in her voice.

Being silent for his response, he quickly pulled off his glove to wipe a tear which was still vacant from her eye, sending Haruta a gentle smile as she looked at him with widened eyes. "No, not at all."

Trying her hardest not to act happy with the gesture, she turned back to the  _ever so interesting_ lamp-post once more, trying hard to stray the conversation away from herself. Right about then, she noticed the walking toys around her; causing her to gasp in shock. "Eh!?"

"It looks like you haven't been to this island before."

Slowly shaking her head, she blinked a few times, before blatantly pointing at a passing toy. "Are they supposed to be doing that?"

Placing his hand on his chin, Sabo's eyes wandered off as he tried to place his words correctly. "The local's here consider them to be as alive as anybody else, some even becoming adopted into people's lives and treated like any normal living being." Silently whispering the last part, Sabo looked away from Haruta's eyes, his own eyes glazing slightly. " _But what they don't realize is the darkness that behind these toys._ "

Clearly hearing the last part, Haurta tilted her head, a questioning 'Huh?' escaping from her lips. "What did you say?"

Looking back at Haruta, his eyes quickly came back to life, waving his hand to the side as he sent Haruta a grin. "Just talking to myself, I tend to do that alot."

Nodding slightly, she decided to leave that comment alone, before another question floated into her mind. "So I take it you live here?"

Slowly shaking his head, his gaze reached the passing residents. "No, I'm just passing by."

"Passing by?" She questioned once again, with a sudden flick of anger crossing her face. "You mean for the tournament?"

Bringing his finger up to his mouth again, Haruta quickly interrupted his following words with a sigh, placing her hands on her hips. "Let me guess, it's a secret?"

Dropping his hand down from his mouth he sent Haruta a smirk, a chuckle silently passing his lips. "Mysteries are way more fun, aren't they."

Twitching once more, she turned her back to him. Letting out a soft voice, so that only Sabo could hear, she bit her lip; her glazed eyes hitting the pavement bellow her. "Someone who was like family to me died a few years ago. I thought that maybe, there was a chance he was still alive, but I just found out that was impossible."

Silently listening to the girl, Sabo's gaze softened, his own eyes wandering up to the sky above.  _  
_

Clenching her fists, she shook her head. Trying to keep the desperate tears which were begging to fall down her face in once more, Haruta lowered her head.

"H-he didn't deserve to die! Not like that! I wish I could see him again, just one more time!" Raising her voice at the last word's of her sentence, she timidly jumped at the touch of another on her shoulder, turning round to face Sabo with moist eyes.

Sending her another one of his gentle smiles, he rashly took ahold of her hand as he dragged her through the crowd, stopping in  _what seemed like_ the centre of the town, a loud vibration of music hitting her ears. Her eyes widened at the sight of toy marching soldiers which passed both her and Sabo, followed by countless human-sized plush-toys which were dancing swiftly along to the music. Crowds gathered around to share the sight, glee easily passing through everyones faces.

Looking up to Sabo next to her, her eye's narrowed slightly when she saw the pained look he wore, as he too stared at the parade passing through.

Noticing her stare, he turned to look down at her with a grin, clapping his two hands together. "I'm starving!" Sabo's grin grew, his eyes lighting up.

"How about we get a bite to eat?"

* * *

Staring at all the other contestants surrounding him on the balcony which he was  _now_ \- hanging off, Luffy looked each person up and down; trying his hardest to quickly judge each person on their strength. After training with Rayleigh for two years, he'd gained plenty of new strategies and moves; so much so that the rubber-teen couldn't wait to jump into the fight.

Whistling happily, Luffy swung over to the next balcony, jumping over the side and laying his head on the rail. He was pretty sure that  _Rebecca?_  Was that her name? She was nice, he liked her. She'd given him food- though she said his fight wouldn't be for another hour.

His stomach grumbling at the thought of food, Luffy groaned, a bored look edging his face. It'd felt like he'd been waiting forever, and it didn't help that Garp-  _Luffy shivered inwardly, simply the name giving him flashbacks of the Fist of Love,_ had pissed off the other contestants, which lead them to hunting the teen down. Though he didn't care, he just wanted to fight.

"Coome onn." The teen whined, his arms drooping over the side of the balcony.

He wondered how his crew was doing, hoping that they didn't mind his sudden absence. Law wouldn't be mad, right?

...Nope. Not a chance.

"So it really is you Straw-hat."

Startling him from his thoughts, Luffy turned, his sight met with a shadowed figure approaching him. "Huh?"

The man was lanky looking, wearing a scruffy blue and white striped unbuttoned shirt along with dark blue demin shorts. Though that wasn't the thing that caught Luffy's attention, that being the blonde hair sitting on his head. Luffy turned round completely to face the man, searching his mind as he tried to remember where he had seen the man before, though obviously failing due to the shaking of his finger which was now pressed against his head.

The man closed his eyes, letting out a quiet yet sinister declaration. "I know you're here for similar reasons, but I'm going to get that fruit. Even if it's the last thing I do."

Licking his lips, the teen ignored the man's words, searching his mind for any clue to who the man was. "Why is his hair making me so hungry?" He mumbled.

The man continued on, his eyebrow twitching at the teen's response. "I would recommend that you leave the fighting up to me, Monkey D. Luffy. It would go against what I believe in if I were to hurt his younger brother."

Clicking his fingers, the teen yelled; throwing his arms in the air. "That's it!"

Blinking, the blonde tilted his head quizzically. "What's 'it'?"

"Your hair!" The rubber-teen responded, his mouth stretching out into a grin. "It looks like a pineapple!" Letting out a bellowing laugh, Luffy leaned on his knees; unable to control the laughter.

Staying silent, the blonde only stared at the teen, his mouth slightly agape.

Breathing heavily, Luffy wiped his tears; straightening his back as he grinned towards the man. "You're Marco right? I heard you that you saved me back at Marineford." Dusting off his armor, the teen approached the silent blonde, bowing suddenly. "Thanks!"

"..." Marco stood there, his only movement being the blinking of his eyes, as he took in what Luffy was saying. "It's fine," he muttered out, gesturing for the teen to stop bowing. "You're Ace's brother. There's no need for your thanks."

Raising from his bow, Luffy re-adjusted his helmet; a grin still stuck to his face. Before the blonde had a chance to speak, the teen spoke again. "I wasn't just saying thanks for that. Thank you for being there for Ace all those years."

"...Huh?"

"Ace seemed super happy when I saw him in Alabasta, he seemed like he really cared about you guys. I mean," Luffy pouted, crossing his arms childishly. "I was shocked that he'd joined a crew,  _after I invited him to join mine all those times_ , so you must've meant a lot to him. So thank you!"

Silence.

"Hey? You okay?" Walking over to the blonde, the teen waved his hand in his face; concerned at the lack of response. "You look kinda ill."

Suddenly shaking his head, Marco moved back; his eyes shadowed over. "I'm fine, it was nothing." He mumbled out, his eyes not wanting to meet the teens.

Stepping back, Luffy nodded. "Are you here for Ace's fruit?" He questioned, surprising the older man. The look of shock seemed to be enough for the teen, as a chuckle left his lips. "Well I am too. And just like you, I'm getting it no matter what."

"But-"

Interrupting Marco, Luffy grabbed the rail. "No buts! You can't go deciding things like that for me. If I'm gonna have to fight you," Glacing at the blonde, the teen prepared to jump; a mad smile on his face. "Then I'm gonna have to fight you."

Not waiting to hear the man's response, Luffy lept over the edge; ignoring the several screams and yelps that came from fellow contestants. Stretching out his arm, he reached for the opposite balcony, landing 'smoothly' with a laugh.

Mar...  _wait._  What was his name again? Pineapple?

Yes, Pineapple seemed like a nice guy. Broody, but nice.

"This is going to be interesting!" He yelled to no-one in particular, startling the people around him.

After all, he did have a few tricks up his sleeve.

* * *

Marco watched as the teen flew from the railing, shouts of terror and surprise resonating through the balconies in the distance. Letting out the breathe he'd be keeping in, he swept his face; wearily going over the exchange he'd just had in his mind.

The familiar feeling that crept over him was slowly going away, leaving the blonde to do something he'd hadn't done in years.

He found himself smiling.

"You really are brothers, aren't you?" He questioned aloud, his voice amused.

Looking down into the colosseum, his smile wavered; his thoughts focusing on the fight that was no inevitable. "I look forward to fighting you, Luffy."


	12. Chapter 12

Fate must really despise Ace.

Bad luck stalked the man, similar to the way animals stalked their pray before killing them off.

Why was Ace thinking this though?

He wasn't a lucky man.

Afterall, the word 'luck' isn't a word many people would say to explain a situation such as being thrown off the roof of a colosseum by an imaginary Voice in your head. Not only that, but now he was waking up to a sweaty; obviously panicking man carrying him on his back. Not the way Ace had expected or preferred to have been woken up too.

That is- he  _wasn't_ expecting to wake up at all.

Before he had time to frantically check the should-be wounds on the back of his head, the running figure halted in his tracks, clearly searching for something in the  _ocean?_ in front of them, a slight sigh escaping his lips as he search failed.

Thinking this was the best time to escape, Ace slowly leaned back, doing his best not to alert the carrier of his aching body that he was awake; before the said carrier turned his face round to face Ace.

Ace had to blink multiple times to make sure what he was seeing wasn't an illusion, his pupils widening within seconds.

"Vis-?!"

Suddenly a gush of wind blew his words away as the Vista-look-alike suddenly ran into a deserted corner, throwing Ace off the carrier's back and onto the floor harshly;causing his aching pains to peek again, his mouth scowling. "Vista! What..."

Seeing that he was again back on solid ground, Ace immediately reached up to check the wounds on his head, preparing for the pain to soar down his neck. Instead, he raised his eyebrows, gripping the back of his head harder to make sure what he was feeling wasn't his head becoming numb.

That wasn't right.

It, it had felt fine, perhaps even better than it did before he had fallen.

Turning his hand into his fist,clenching his fingers, Ace's eyes glazed over in thought.

_That's impossible though. Wasn't there blood pouring from my hea-  
_

"A-Ace...No way. That can't be you?" Words suddenly broke Ace from his thought, the said ex-commander peering his eyes up to the stuttering man before him; guilt passing through him as he saw the pained look of his old friend's eyes.

Deciding it would be best to fill the silence, Ace shook his head, weakly smiling as he stuttered out his words. "Vista, is that really you?"

Immediately as those words were said, Vista rushed over to Ace; throwing his arms around the freckled one's as his body began to shake. "It's a miracle!"

Surprised, Ace screamed a little, unable to breathe due to the swordsman grip around his body. "Air, air Vista!  _I need to breathe._ " The guilt hardly faltering with those words, Ace furrowed his eyebrows, inwardly agreeing with the mustached-man's statement.

Bringing a tissue to his face, Vista cleared up his eyes, before throwing the said tissue at Ace's face. "H-how are you even alive?! You died in front of all of us, there was no way you could survive a hit like that! Does this have to do with you not being in your grave? But that's impossible, someone stole you from there."

Flinging the sodden tissue away, Ace turned to Vista with widened eyes; getting up from where he was sat. "You were at th- _my_ grave? When?"

"..." Vista went silent, his arms beginning to shake.

"...Vista?" Ace questioned again.

Seeming to ignore the freckled man's question, Vista eyes shadowed, his thoughts obviously plaguing the conversation they were having.

"That can mean only one thing."

Confused, Ace moved closer, reaching out to the now silent swordsman. "What can do you mean,  _one thing_?"

Finally moving from the spot he was glued too, he slowly un-sheathed his sword; picking up the pace of his feet as he shouted towards Ace. "I hope that somewhere, up there in the heavens, you can hear me Ace! I wont let anyone control your body like this! You bastard-!"

Ace blankly stared at him, repeating in his head what his companion just said. "..."

_...W-what?_

Barely moving inches away from Vista's attack and out of his thoughts, Ace quickly leapt to the side, gulping as he stared at the wall behind him sliced in half, then inwardly shitting himself as he peered over to receive the furious glare which Vista was throwing him.

His mouth suddenly becoming dry, Ace stared with his pupils enlarged, barely uttering out two extremely accustomed words from his mouth. "Oh shit."

Swinging his sword once more, Vista blatantly ignored all the signs of civilization; crushing the houses and stalls around him, causing for people surrounding the area  _including Ace_  to scream and run to safer places.

"Y-you scum! You'll die for what you've done!"

Peering his head around his shoulder, Ace ran rapidly down the center of the street, grinding his teeth as he came to a halt; deciding in trying to calm down his fired-up brother. "V-Vista!-  _shit._ " Another attack pin-pointed towards Ace, the ground shattering in front of him as he ducked once more into another shadowed street. "You have the calm down. I know it seems completely impossible but it's really m-"

Still though, Vista ran towards Ace, ignoring all attempts at conversation as the swung the sword at Ace's neck; wind gushing behind him as his sight was filled with a street without his target. Turning around in the opposite direction, he spotted the man rushing into a house, flinging the door behind him shut.

Kicking open the door without struggle, Vista sprinted up the stairs; slightly growling at the returned sight of his half-dead brother standing by an open window.

Seeing the place as a dead-end, Ace gulped, turning around the face the un-pleasant sight of his enraged brother; bringing up his hands once more as he took a step back. "Vista. It's me. Ace. Your brother."

Looking to see no recognition of accepting that fact on Vista's face, the fire-thrower twitched; clenching his fingers into a fist as he continued to shout back at his brother.

"U-uh I have proof!" Ace began to awkwardly laugh, bringing his hand behind his head as the sent the man a half-hearted smile. "Do you remember that time when your top-hat went mysteriously missing and turned up in your cabin with it dyed pink and fake bunny-ear's attached to it? Well what' you know? It was me. Isn't that funny? There's no way that anyone else knows about that incident so how about you stop attacking me now."

"..." Vista continued to stare dangerously at Ace, causing the said fire-thrower to inwardly sweat-drop.

_Okay. So maybe that didn't help the situation._

"Not only do you steal his appearance," Finally muttering out words, Ace brought all his attention to his brother, eyes narrowing at the threatening tone he was using. "But to steal his memories as well!" Vista started to shake once more, bringing his sword closer to the fire-user, holding it horizontally towards him. "You will never be forgiven!"

Twitching, Ace brought up his fist hesitantly, not wanting to fight back against his brother. "I already told you Vista it's not like th-" Yelling interrupted his words, as the floor below him suddenly shattered from another one of Vista's sudden attacks, causing him to jump back; completely forgetting about the open window behind him. "S-Shit!"

Falling from the window with shock, Ace crashed down onto a building below; easily breaking through the ceiling and down into a  _hole?_ \- which was placed in the building itself, before crashing into someone below.

* * *

Haruta stared at Sabo with narrowed eyes, her senses peeking every time a sound was echoed around her.

Easily noticing the commander's uneasiness, Sabo raised an eyebrow, ushering the waitress dressed in clothes representing a bumble-bee to another table. "Is there something that's bothering you?" He asked bluntly, causing the said commander to twitch and send her gaze somewhere else.

"How can you  _not_ recognize it?" Haruta's sight peered over to the place where everyone in the restaurant was staring at, their faces mortified with shock.

Smirking as he too glanced over to the sight, he laughed, flinging his hand up in the air with his finger straightened. "Have you never seen a hole before?"

Twitching again, Haruta turned to face the smirking man, grumbling under her breath. "Of course I have!" Placing her elbow on the table, she held her chin in her palm. "Just not in a place like this. Don't act like it's not weird."

Bringing his hand down, Sabo nodded, keeping silent as he brought the cup placed in front of him to his mouth; slowly sipping it's contents and placing it back down. "I admit, I am curious on how such a hole got there in the first place, but you've got to stop staring at it like that. Your face might stay that way."

Jolting from her spot, she inwardly hissed at the man; grumbling more under her breath as she saw him smirk once more. "Yeah, yeah." Bringing her other hand up, she waved it in the air, trying best to steer the conversation. "Anyway, I've been wanting to ask you this the whole time, but why have you brought me here?"

Tilting his head at such a question, Sabo blinked, sending a grin at Haruta. "For something to eat."

Eyes slightly widening from the idiocy of the blonde, she slipped her chin from her palm, banging her head harshly on the table, a "Tch!" followed by a sigh passing her lips as she held her head. "I know that! But why do you want something to eat?-  _And don't you dare say because you were hungry._ "

A chuckle suddenly split from the blonde's mouth, causing Haruta to raise an eyebrow. "Why, do you have a problem with the food? I here they serve fantastic Lemon Souffles here." He said, his stomach grumbling loudly.

Haruta continued to stare at the man with a dis-pleased look, making Sabo smile. Bringing his hands up in the air, he tilted his head, sending Haruta a small smile. "Would you believe me if I said that I just wanted the good company of someone whilst I eat?"

Instantly grabbing the fork placed by her and throwing it towards the blonde's head, she sent him a irritated look, a threatening glaze directed at the blonde. "Don't think I'm an easy push-over for your words Sabo. Tell me honestly why you brought me here."

Bringing his hand out of sight and instantly in front of his face, Sabo's smile faltered, gently placing the fork down onto the table once more; silence suddenly balancing between the two. Haruta kept her gaze at the man, not twitching once at either movements he did.

Sighing, Sabo leaned forward, whispering out his words. "Because Haruta, both of us have a common goal in mind."

Leaning back slightly, Haruta narrowed her eyes, listening intensely to the man's words. "A common goal?"

His smile growing wider at the others acknowledgement, Sabo lifted up a newspaper which was placed by his side, putting it less-than-gently onto the table. "You were a crew-mate of Portgas D. Ace, correct?"

Twitching at the mention of his name, she sadly gazed down to the newspaper placed in front of her, biting her lip as she thought how to answer the question. "What of it?"

"Then you would agree that this whole competition for his devil-fruit is repulsive and something that must be stopped, no matter what." Sabo immediately responded, his face suddenly becoming shadowed from the light.

Startled by the sudden question, she continued to stare at the newspaper with widened eyes, easily noticing the emotion the man was showing before her. Swallowing her words down, she faintly nodded, her eyes becoming glazed once more as she thought of the events which had happened recently. Shaking her head out of her thoughts, she turned her look away from the newspaper and onto Sabo, curiosity edging in her voice. "Why would you care about that though?"

"..." The blonde remained silent, it being the first time since she met the man, slightly unnerving Haruta as she looked on. Twitching again, she banged the table harshly with her hands, ignoring how loud she was being as she startled Sabo from his thoughts.

"I'm guessing that you want some kind of help from me, correct? So you can at least tell me why you want to do, whatever it is you're planning to do."

Staring at her with empty eyes, he smiled ever-so-slightly, nodding. "If you want to know," He ushered silently, mirroring Haurta's actions earlier by placing his chin in his palm; his eyes directed at the newspaper.

"The reason is purely personal. For I can't stand by and let my brother's devil-fruit to be taken away as easily as that."

Silence.

Piecing together each word, Haruta stared at the man with huge pupils; stuttering out her words. "W-Wait."

Holding her hands in front of her,  _allowing for her previously threatening position disappear,_ she gaped at the man. "Hold up a second. Did you just say-?"

Nodding once more, Sabo looked up from the news-paper, forcing a smile. "Ace, he's my brother."

"..."

"Are you feeling okay? You're not looking so good."

"..."

"Haruta?"

Barely stuttering out her words, Haruta blinked a few times, before screaming a loud " **EH?!** " and once again banging her head onto the table.

Smirking, Sabo laughed weakly at her actions; nodding his head as he sighed out his words. "I don't get why so many people react like that when I tell them."

"Y-you're nothing alike!" Haruta bellowed, once again ignoring all signs of quieting down as she brought her head up from the table. "You really expect me to believe a stranger I met in the middle of nowhere to be Ace's brother?!"

"Ah." Sabo pointed his finger up, causing Haruta to lean back further, but still capture her attention. "You're wrong there. This isn't just the middle of nowhere now, is it?" Haruta blinked, her eyes saddening at the recognition of his words, her head slowly nodding. "And that is why I want you to help m-"

**_'PURUPURUPURUPURU'_ **

"Huh?" Haruta jumped from her seat, alerted by the familiar noise which came from the blonde's pocket; raising an eyebrow the blonde sighed with irritation.

"Well then." Sabo said with a grin, clapping both his hands together as he stood up from his seat. "It is a shame to be leaving you this soon Miss Haruta, but I must go."

Blinking, Haruta just stared at the man blankly, her eyebrows twitching once more at the man's declaration. "...What?"

Putting the Transponder-Snail on silent, he slid another object out of his pocket, placing it in front of Haruta. "It seems my colleague has finally wondered where I have run off too."

Staring at the item he placed onto the table, he turned his head away. "Please do try your best to be at the right place and the right time, I'll be counting on you." Sending Haruta a smirk before she could question once more, he turned away towards the exit, leaving Haruta staring at the item in shock.

"Did he just?" Her eyes shadowing, she gripped hardly on the edges below the table, flinging the table high into the air,  _alerting the other customers,_  as she bellowed towards the exit. "T-that idiot! He seriously thinks he can just leave me here like this?!"

Leaving the wreckage behind her, she stormed her way towards the door; fuming by the ears as she ignored all the shouts and warnings around her.

Suddenly, she collided with something that was falling above, sending her and the  _thing?-_ into the direction of the hole and down underground.

Cursing as she hit the floor with a crack, she whipped her head round to see that  _thing_ that she collided with, halting at the sight.

Gasping, she stuttered; her heart undoubtedly missing a beat as she stared into the eyes of an old friend's face, tears immediately swelling up in her eyes.

"...Ace?"


	13. Chapter 13

Koala was angry.

Maybe angry was an understatement.

 _Fuming_ would be the correct word to use to describe her feelings towards her partner right now.

Staring with fury at the smiling blonde, she instantly grabbed a hold of the edges of the knives placed by her side, swiftly throwing them at the man with a pout placed upon her lips; ignoring the fact that they were both placed on rooftops.

Yelping in surprise at the girl's sudden actions, Sabo ducked from the directions the knives were thrown. "What was that for?" He asked with a twitch of sarcasm hidden in his voice, causing the the girl to once again grab the other set of knives by her side and threaten to throw them at Sabo.

The man simply laughed at this, slowly getting up from where he was laying as he brushed himself off.

Letting go of the tips of the knives, Koala placed her hands on her hips, her eyes twitching  _slightly._ "And where the hell have you been?" She asked, somehow answering the question which Sabo had previously asked.

"Unlike you..." He started, his smile faltering slightly. "I've been doing my job."

Pouting, Koala turned away from the man; facing towards the colosseum. "I  _would_ have been doing my job if you hadn't idiotically wandered off back when we were on our way to do our  _real_ task."

Flinging his hand up to his chin, Sabo sent Koala a smirk. "Excuses."

"Youu." Koala puffed her cheeks out. After a few seconds of blatantly staring at the man with anger; she finally sighed, letting her hands fall off of her hips and onto the backside of her pockets.

"While you were  _gone_ , I was able to get the identities of who seems to be on the island right now, but thanks to a  _situation-_ " She sent a glare at Sabo once again. "-I wasn't able to verify all the identities for myself." Pulling out a mid-sized notebook, she lifted up one of the pages, before glancing at Sabo with a more peaceful look.

"I also found out something else." With a rip of a page, she scrunched the paper in her hand with her fingers, swiftly letting go of the crumpled piece into the street below. "You'll never what I saw today, I couldn't really believe it myself. It seems that someone who looks like your-"

Sabo quickly finished off her sentence, taking the notebook out of her hands and scanning the pages. "I know. I've already seen his ship dock before it left."

Koala's eyes pondered at this, ignoring the rude actions the blonde just exhibited. "It left?"

Sighing, he passed the notebook back to Koala, placing his palm on-top of his head. "I have no idea what Luffy could be up too. All I know is that he's here _now_ , and I have an 99% suspicion where he's going to  _be_."

Taking a hold of the notebook placed in her hands, Koala turned fully around, a suspicious grin slowly creeping across her face. "Oh?" She whispered, though easily made it loud enough for the other to hear. "I didn't know you were talking about Luffy." She hushed out, causing the blonde behind her to raise an eyebrow.

"And who else would it be?" Sabo questioned, his eye's narrowing at the others behavior.

He knew _easily_  from experience that whenever Koala showed the following signs on her face; that something  _mischievous_ was going to happen. And that always meant that she had something on him, something that he didn't know.

Skipping forward on the tiles of the house they were standing on, she sent a smile back at Sabo, before halting in her steps. "If you were on the job, you would have known."

Catching up to where the girl was now standing, Sabo frowned, re-adjusting the gloves which were slipping due to the girl's previous attack. "I was busy getting to know Ace's old crew-mates, seeing as that might just  _help_ in our job- no _?_ " He hissed out, over-empathizing the 'help' in his words.

Koala continued to stare at the man with a blank face, before sticking her tongue out. Placing her foot outwards to the street below; she lept up the other foot as she fell from the rooftop, uttering out words with amusement. " _Excuses_."

Staring into the empty space in which the girl was previously standing, Sabo sighed, a small smile crawling upon his lips before he too jumped down onto the ground; leaving a small note to flutter in the wind behind.

Unknown to him, written on the note was the following scribed words; a question mark placed next to it.

_'_ _Fire Fist Ace **-?** '  
_

* * *

Robin looked warily at the small  _creatures?-_ which were placed on top of her, wincing at the tiny hands which pulled vigorously at her hair. Uttering out a small " _Ow.._ " from her lips, she furrowed her eyebrows, asking the creatures with curiosity and caution in her tone. "Where on earth is this?"

Letting her eyes slowly start to observe her surroundings, she wouldn't have been surprised if someone had walked up to her and explained that she was dreaming.

Her surroundings were ones that were similar to ones that were used in children's stories, the small creatures included. Glancing to the left of her, she was met with the alerted creatures, all pointing their weapons towards her. Ignoring them for now, she chose to glance to the right, seeing nothing but small wooden houses; assuming the creatures lived there.

Honestly, it was quite a sight to see.

Peeking back to the creature which stood on top of her, she watched him grow pale; stuttering out his words. "D-Don't tr-try to run!"

Seeing that Robin chose not the respond, the creature looked proud of himself, before this time proclaiming more louder and bolder. "You should sit still! You're a bad 'Great Human', aren't you?!"

With those words, something seemed to click inside her mind.

_Gnomes?_

"Of course." She muttered to herself, slightly disappointed she wasn't able to recognise them sooner. The scenery looks exactly like what the novels had said, along with the creatures matching the appearance she'd heard about. Biting down on her lip, her mind wandered off to how she had gotten herself here, knowing well that Gnomes weren't welcoming to humans; especially in their countries.

Hearing a shuffling above, Robin's heartbeat rose slightly, feeling a strong aura beckoning from the sound. Unable to look behind her, she glanced down to the oblivious Gnomes, simply staring at her with fury. Before she was able to voice her warning, the aura left; leaving her laying there with her curiosity peeked. Throwing it off as her imagination playing tricks, she continued to observe the area.

Taking her away from her thoughts, a familiar looking Gnome spoke up; his looks being more chubbier than the others. "Everyone watch out! This 'Great Human', she uses magic! Back then, her hands sprouted like flowers right below my feet!" Gasps from the fellow Gnomes were voiced, causing Robin to inwardly sigh. "If the flowers hadn't set off, then I wouldn't have stood a chance."

Confused, Robin raised an eyebrow."Flowers?" She asked, before her memory cleared, remembering how she discovered the chubby Gnome; then faintly hearing Usopp's scream.

A slight frown edging down her face, she wondered how Usopp was; seeing as he too was affected by the flower's tranquilliser. Deciding that the long-nosed man would be fine for now, she instead asked questions surrounding on where this place was; to which the Gnomes surprisingly responded with ease.

"This is our country! The Tontatta Kingdom!" The Gnome on top of her proclaimed, before threatening Robin's movements once more. "It's no use to try and move, for I have done the honors of sewing you to the ground with my Nui Nui Magic!"

Testing out the magic power for herself, Robin tried to swiftly bring up her arm; but was left motionless, only hearing the laughter of the proud Gnomes around her. Her mind wandered back to her previous companion, inwardly gulping as she thought of what Usopp would do if he was in the same position. Deciding that he could be in danger if she didn't move, Robin brought out her softer voice, staring the main Gnome square in the eye.

"I'm sorry. I was just interested in you, I didn't mean to hurt any of you at all. If you let me go, you have my promise I will not tell a soul that I saw you." She whispered out, before a frustrated yell also hit the air.

"Liar!" The main Gnome stepped forward, placing his weapon towards her neck. "As if you would get away with such a pathetic excuse!"

Glancing her eyes down to the sword below, she bit her lip. Suddenly, a shout from a far caught everyone's attention; most importantly Robin's.

"You're wrong! She's telling the truth!" A high pitched voice called out, running up to the main Gnome placed above her.

As if someone had just hit the clapperboard to this conversation, all of the Gnomes immediately lowered their defenses, walking over to the previously shouting Gnome.

"Well if that's true, then there's no problem." The main Gnome exclaimed, causing Robin to stare at him with widened eyes.

Sending her a smile, all the Gnomes around her started to laugh joyfully; some even falling on the ground. Undoing the spell, the main Gnome disappeared around the corner, before returning with Robin's glasses in hand.

"Sorry 'bout that. Here's your glasses!" He said with a cheerful tone, leaving Robin to slowly sit up; hesitantly taking a hold of her glasses.

One thought crossed her mind as she gripped the glasses in hand, her own eyes shadowing slightly.

_How can they trust so easily?_

Hazily watching as the Gnome's walked around, going about their daily business; Robin couldn't help but feel a slight jealously rage up inside her, placing her palm over her head as she breathed out heavily.

The jealously instantly lifted, her mind crossing the images of her placed beside her crew; her Captain-  _her_   _friends_.

Smiling at the thought, she nearly missed the smaller Gnome patting her arm below, asking her if she was alright. Nodding slowly in response, she leaned her hands onto the floor, bringing herself off the grassy ground.

Almost instantly as she got her bearings, a tremor hit the floor, causing everything in the area surrounding her to shake. The Gnomes yelled with fright, some exclaiming such tremors have never happened before. Leaning her weight on a smaller tree to her side, she was able to balance herself and gaze towards where the tremors where coming from.

The ground was still slightly shaking, but seem to cease when Robin came across a duo of cloaked figures groaning, muttering countless things under their breathes.

"My, my." She found herself saying, a small smile stretching across her lips. "It looks like this day just got a little more interesting."

* * *

"A-Ace?!" Haruta accidentally yelled, causing the said person to turn around.

Ace stood there, mouth agape as he tried his hardest to find words to stop the younger,  _not now at least,_ from crying.

But before he could say anything, Haruta had already began to sob. Holding her hand over her mouth, she stared at him, her pupils shaking with disbelief as tears swept through them, falling onto the ground below. As Haruta began to mumble a mixture of unknown words, Ace continued to stand there, his whole expression dumbfounded.

_"Aren't you going to say something?"_

Ace instantly twitched.

Oh _no._

He  ** _did not_  **want to see that thing, not right now at least.

"Shut it." Ace mumbled under his breath to the Voice-  _easily forgetting he was the only one to see or hear it._

Jumping from her mumbles, Haruta blinked through her tears to stare at him with what seemed like  _wider_ eyes, as she let out a little stutter. "H-Huh?"

Immediately regretting his previous words, Ace paled; holding his hands in front of him as he shook his head, also seeming to stutter in his words. "N-No! Not you!"

Haruta just blinked again, her face completely blank. "Not... me?"

Silence edged the area at the bottom of the hole, both Haruta and Ace staring at each other with blank faces, both unable to speak any words.

Of course though, this didn't seem to apply to the Voice.

_"Quit acting like an idiot and say something already!"_

As pissed as he was with  _that thing_ , Ace decided to take it's advice. Lowering his hands, he began to speak, his eyes becoming shadowed as he looked down to the floor. "Haruta. I'm so sor-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Haruta instantly ran up to Ace; tackling him in as she threw her arms around his body. "Don't!" She yelled, her voice muffled by the cloth and her tears. "D-don't say it!" Feeling water sink into his chest, Ace simply stared with surprise at his sister.

...Was she not mad at him?

Oyaji- he was  _dead_  because of him.

If he hadn't acted on ridiculous impulse then maybe their father would still be alive today, all the people who were killed at Marineford would still be living. They didn't deserve to die that day, not for someone like him.

Continuing to stare at the younger, she carried on crying; before looking up to face Ace."You,  _YOU IDIOT_!" She yelled, suddenly kicking him harshly into chest; making him fly into the wall opposite both of them with a crash.

Not expecting this, Ace dazily sat up from the debris of the use-to-be wall he crashed into; shouting back at Haruta. "What the hell was that for?!"

 _"Heh."_ The Voice gave a laugh, leaning it's body weight against a bolder.

Suspiciously, a glare was sent towards the figure.

Taking Ace out of his thought was however the steaming Haruta, her fists clenched as she marched up to the freckled man; grabbing his collar so they were eye to eye.

"Never," She mumbled, before her eyes narrowed, letting a tear slip from her eye. "Don't ever try something like that again, you hear me Ace?!" She yelled the last bit, biting her lip as more tears fell from her eyes.

Blinking a few times, Ace looked down; the pained look in his eyes fading as a smile tore across his lips. "...I promise." He whispered out.

The grip on his collar becoming weaker, Ace looked up to see a tear-filled Haruta staring at him in the face, snot peeking out of her nose. Wiping her tears with the other hand, she too smiled; yanking her arm around Ace's neck.


	14. Chapter 14

Both Haruta and Ace sat there for what seemed like hours, the younger finally starting to dry her tears while Ace just held her.

Slowly moving away from his sister's grip, Ace's eyes started to widen, his mind trying to remind him; as if he had forgotten something  _important_.

"Ace?" Haruta questioned, letting her arms fall down to her knees. "What's wrong?"

Standing up from where he was sat, Ace crossed his arms over his chest, mumbling countless words from his lips. "I don't know. I feel like I was doing something  _really_  important before I fell down here."

Blinking, the time for all the obvious questions seemed to peek in Haruta's mind.

" _Ace_!?" She screamed, dragging her feet off the ground. "Wait a minute! H-how are you even alive?!"

 _"She only now_ _asks this?"_ The Voice asked, humor written in it's tone.

Ignoring the Voice's comments, Ace looked over to Haruta. Bringing his hand to the side of his head, the freckled man grinned guiltily at the other. "Yeah,  _about that_." Staring with widened eyes at Ace, Haruta tilted her head slightly; not completely liking the grin that Ace was sending her.

"I have no idea." Ace stated bluntly, causing Haruta to collapse back onto the ground, her hands flailing in the air.

Instantly standing up from where she fell, she marched over to Ace, grabbing a hold of the collar of his cloak. "What do you mean you have no idea?!"

Stepping back a few steps from the fellow imposing Commander, Ace yelped; his grin slightly faltering. "Well..."

Taking a place next to Ace, the Voice taunted him; a shit-eating grin appearing on it's face.  _"You should see your face right now._ _"_

Glancing with hatred spun in his eyes at the Voice, Ace sighed, closing his eyes. Haruta took this as a sign to let go of the fire-thrower's cloak, her eyes still staring with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity as the fabric fell to Ace's sides. Peeking one eye open, Ace started to speak. "...I don't know a lot."

Smirking, Haruta snorted, lowering her posture. "Well, nothing's changed there."

Twitching, Ace continued on. "I can't remember much after..." His tone faltering, Haruta nodded; understanding what he meant. "Just a lot of darkness. After that, I woke up underground, my wounds healed." Leaning beside the Voice on a bolder, Ace scowled slightly. "That's about all the clues I've got about it."

Frowning slightly as well, Haruta placed one hand on her hip, her mind trying to think of any possibility how that would help. Letting out all the breaths she had been holding, Haruta straightened her lips before shaking her head. "There's not really much we can go off then, can we." She asked Ace, already knowing the answer.

"Nope." Ace grumbled, leaning further onto the bolder.

Looking at the bolder her brother was leaning on, Haruta's eyebrow raised suddenly; her eyes starting to scan the area they were in. "Well," She swallowed, her mouth becoming dry. "...would you  _at least_  happen to know where we are?"

As soon as the words left her lips, a sudden rumble hit the air; the ground starting to move along with it. Ace stared blankly at Haruta, ignoring the sounds and shakes of the world around him as terror started to appear on his face. "Shit. I forgot about him."

Haruta yelped, flinging herself onto the bolder Ace was on. "Him?" She yelled, trying to make her voice louder than the rumble itself.

As if on cue, a shattering crash blasted next to them, the shadow of the  _extremely_ pissed off Vista flying down for the sky above and onto the floor next to them, causing Haruta to tilt her head. "V-Vista?"

_"Oh. He found you."_

His instincts flaring up, Ace mumbled closely to the Voice under his breath. "Thanks for that input. I wouldn't have known if you didn't tell me."

 _"Huh?"_ The Voice sounded, surprise uttering his tone.  _"So you've finally quit sulking and decided to talk to me again?"_

"Eh _?_ " Completely forgetting the fact that there was a homicidal Commander in front of him, Ace turned around to face the Voice with a pissed off glare. "I'm sorry, I didn't know I should become _best buddies_  with a thing that throws people randomly off places!"

Pouting, the Voice turned away, it's arms crossed over it's chest.  _"...Not my fault."_ It muttered childishly, causing Ace to twitch once more, giving Ace time to think of the  _many_ attacks he had planned on killing the thing in his head.

But before he had time to do anything, Haruta yelled at him, grabbing a hold of his shoulder; bringing him back to the situation. "Ace! As much as I can tolerate your weird habits,  _i_ _ncluding the newest one being coming back to life,_ right now it would really help if you would stop talking to yourself!"

Turning his glare towards Vista, it instantly dropped; gulping as he slowly turned his head towards Haruta. "It looks like Vista's changed over the past two years."

"He's not usually like that..." Haruta replied, her grip on Ace's shoulder tightening. "What the hell did you do to him?!

Putting both his hands in front of him, Ace shook his head, his eyes widened. "What?! I haven't done anything!"

"Tch." Haruta spat out, sighing once more. "Like I believe that." Letting go of Ace's shoulder, she hesitantly stepped forwards, bringing both her hands out in front of her. "Vista! I don't know what Ace has done to you, but listen to me! You need to calm dow-"

Vista quickly interrupted, bringing his sword down from where it was previously hanging. "Haruta! Step away from that man, he's not Ace!"

Timidly taking a step back, Haruta shook her head. "No, Vista, It's Ace. I'm sure of it." Hearing this, Ace's eyes softened slightly, the guilt which had disappeared before slowly appearing. "Back at the island, you never went to his grave, did you?" Haruta continued, but her words widened Ace's eyes.

 _"They went there?"_ The Voice questioned, surprise in it's tone.

"The island?" Ace questioned, breaking his fellow Commanders out of their conversation.

Though neither of them decided to return his question, Haruta continuing on with her statement; taking Vista's silence as an answer. "What none of us told you guys was the condition Ace's grave was in."

A few seconds of silence passed, causing the fire-thrower to think on the words his sister had just proclaimed. Inwardly slapping himself, Ace bit his lip, uttering out a silent 'Oh' from his lips.

Sensing that the freckled man had done something stupid, the Voice's eyes widened, stuttering slightly.  _"D-Don't tell me you were stupid enough to leave it open..."_  The Voice asked, slowly turning it's head up towards the said man.

Hearing it's words, Ace looked down towards the still-leaning Voice, his eyebrow raising. "You weren't there?"

Jumping with realization at the others question, the Voice turned away, it's posture more telling than it's words.  _"I can't remember."_

Deciding to ignore it for now, he returned his interest back to Haruta and Vista, surprised to see that Vista was returning his surprised gaze back at him.

Watching as Vista stumbled over his steps towards Ace, the swordsman's voice once again wobbled. "A-Ace. Is that  _really_ is you?"

Inwardly jolting at the sound of desperation in his brother's voice, Ace gave Vista a peaceful smile, tilting his head slightly. "That's what I've been trying to tell you, you crazy idiot." He replied with a chuckle, Vista himself grinning at the name as he breathed out, relaxing all his muscles.

"I must be one to be called that by  _you_ of all people." Vista replied, collapsing on a nearby broken wall, his eyes slowly shutting.

Grinning at his brother's actions, Ace let out a small laugh, taking a seat next to Vista as he looked up to Haruta, his eyes narrowing. "What's wrong?"

Haruta stood in front of her sitting brother's, a scowl placed on her face as she looked around. "Vista. Where the hell have you thrown us?"

Before Ace could question how Haruta knew it was Vista that threw him, he gulped; his eyes as well stumbling over his surroundings.

As far as he could tell, the place they were in was completely deserted, much like the town he had visited previously. There were shattered pieces of debris smothered everywhere, plenty of ruins of previous houses and buildings completely obliterated; leaving nothing but the dust they were standing in. The only light source was the sky above, which Ace guessed was the light from the building this hole was placed in.

This of course raised an entirely new question.

"What was a hole this huge doing in a building like that?" Ace asked, raising his hand up to the sky above.

Haruta pondered, before shaking her head. "No idea. It was already there before I arrived in the place. Pretty weird thing to have in a restaurant if you ask me."

Both Ace and Vista tuned in at this, their stomaches on que starting to rumble; causing Haruta to sigh whole-heartedly.

Vista looked to the side, a slight red tinted on his face before he looked back up to Haruta questionably. "What were you doing in a restaurant?"

Looking to the side, Haruta avoided her brother's eyes; not wanting to speak about her previous run through the town.

The freckled man smirked. "Aw, is it something you're embarrassed about?" Coo-ing, Ace winked at Haruta, Vista quickly joining in with the laughter.

Fuming, Haruta both instantly whacked the two on the head as her eyes began to glare dangerously at the duo. "Of course not! Someone was asking a favor off me, that's all." She grumbled, crossing her hands over her chest.

Vista snickered at this, causing Haruta to once again kick the swordsman in the head; throwing him off into the distance. However, as she did this, her eyes widened;suddenly checking all pockets on her as she started to yell. "Damn it?! Where is it?!"

Ace watched as the girl fumbled around, laughing as she started to curse more. "What's wrong now?"

Instantly turning her head towards Ace, she scowled, sighing as she gave up on finding the object. "Someone gave something 'important' to me, but it looks like I lost it in the fall." She muttered, shaking her shoulder-length hair out of her eyes.

Raising an eyebrow, Ace placed his arm on his knee. "Sorry 'bout that." He grinned, before his eyes once again searched the place. "What did it look like?"

Haruta obviously pondered about this, her eyes wincing as she tried to remember the shape of the object. "I think, it was a piece of paper."

"That sounds easily to find." Vista once again joined in, sarcasm edging his tone. Twitching, Haruta glared towards the swordsman, giving all signs to him that he should ' _shut it_ '.

"Well I wouldn't have lost it if you hadn't gone on a little goose chase with freckles over there."

Ignoring the bickering of the duo, Ace narrowed his eyes; getting up from where he was sat to a random space out in the abandoned street. Leaning over to pick something up, he brought the item up, looking towards Haruta. "Is this it?" He yelled, catching the attention of the fuming girl.

Her eyes suddenly shined, running over to where Ace was standing along with Vista. "T-That's it!"

All six eyes drew their attention to what Ace had in hand, the freckled man furrowing his eyebrows as he hesitantly opened the piece of paper.

Surprised by the simplicity of the paper's content's, all their eyes widened. In front of them, was a map of Dressrosa; a huge circle placed over the colossuem's hidden tunnels.

Written in neat handwriting, a small arrow was placed near the circle; a clear message inscribed.

**_'12.00pm, THE GAME STARTS'_ **

* * *

Curiously walking over to where the two mumbling duo had fell, Robin immediately recognised one of the scowling faces that looked up at her. "So nice of you to join us Mr. Swordsman." She said with a graceful smile, chuckling slightly as she saw the surprise on the man's face.

"Robin?" He coughed out, flattened by another  _object_ on top of him.

Bending down, Robin faced Zoro at an eye to eye level; her eyebrow ever-so-slightly rising as she looked at the  _object_ on top of him. She quickly motioned to it, to which Zoro quickly scowled. "Get the damn thing off me!" He yelled,  _not particularly at Robin_ , shaking the  _object_ off him; it crashing onto the ground.

"You bastard! How dare you throw me like that!" The  _object_ screamed back, causing Robin to stand back up from where she was kneeling, her eyebrows furrowing at the peculiar looking man before her.

Instantly getting off the ground, Zoro twitched; brushing himself off and also turning towards the flattened man. "Bastard." He mumbled under his breath, causing Robin to look slightly surprised.

The man hadn't spoken like that for years, seemingly having a more calm and serious approach towards things now. Obviously this man had done  _something_  towards Zoro, making the archaeologist curiously look at the man ontop of Zoro.

As she did, the peculiar man stepped up, pointing dramatically at the swordsman. "You idiot! I told you to take a left! Not to crash through the tunnel ahead of us!"

Robin once again chuckled at this, slowly glancing at the swordsman. "It seems that you still have your amazing talent of getting lost, Zoro."

The man jumped at this, looking with widened eyes at the woman before grumbling countless words under his breath.

Robin's gaze returned back to the man, her face completely emotionless once more. "It seems I have yet to meet you...?" She left a gap, leaving the man to continue on.

The man didn't mind this at all, a truly horrifying grin to curve onto his lips as he dramatically turned around, placing his hand onto his head. "I thought that you would never ask, for it is me!"

Stepping back slightly, Robin chose not to stand near the strange man, concluding that the Gnomes seemed safer than him.

"I AM KNOWN ACROSS ALL SEAS AS THE FRIGHTENING LEADER OF THE PIRATE DISPATCH SOCIETY!" Yelling high into the skies, the man danced across the small space of the gnomes village,  _scaring some of them to say the least_ , before pointing his hand into the sky. "IT IS ME, BUGGY THE CLOWN!"

Glancing over to the swordsman, he too wore a unimpressed look on his face; motioning for them both to leave the man posing by himself.

"...Eh?" Buggy himself asked, seeing that there was no-one but small creatures staring at him with widened eyes. Yelping in terror at the creatures, he turned around, seeing the two Straw-hat's walking off; reaching out his hand to them.

"W-Wait for me!"


	15. Chapter 15

Luffy peered down to Bellamy's back, excitement passing through his veins.

After he had talked to the man, Luffy had taken a liking to him, despite the bad blood they previously shed. He really wanted him to win. It had been some time since he defeated him back in Jaya; he was now curious to see how much stronger the man had become.

Briefly ignoring the events that had proceeded, the rubber-teen bounced; grinning  _a little_ wider with each contestant being revealed.

However, all hopes for Bellamy to win suddenly halted, as a familiar sight hit the arena below. His grin instantly faltering, Luffy became still. His eyes passed over to see the person who had crushed his excitement, a frown slightly appearing on his lips.

Standing a few meters away from Bellamy, was the Whitebeard Captain, looking as dis-pleased as Luffy.

The teen grumbled, itching to place his hat over his eyes as he sulked at the new events. He wanted Bellamy to win! No matter how much stronger he had thought Bellamy had become, he inwardly knew that the human-spring wouldn't stand a chance; not to someone like him anyway.

Sighing, Luffy looked down to his hands. His eyes started to glaze over, attacked by thoughts of how he was going to win to the Whitebeard Captain returning to mind.

Pouting, Luffy suddenly hit his head; yelling at himself with frustration. "All this thinking! I'm not usually this thoughtful! I don't know how the others do it all the time. Except Zoro. He's an exception." Luffy rambled on, his smile slightly returning.

Hearing the fight's below suddenly starting, Luffy quietened down, edging further towards the rail.

It didn't take long for the others below to realize they had no chance against the Whitebeard Captain, all looking slightly shaken that he was even taking part in the competition.

Though of course, there were the eager ones; which despite seeing the signs  _not to piss the blonde off_ , decided to do that  _exact_  thing.

The big muscled chain guy,  _as Luffy decided to call him,_ was the first to attack the blue and white striped Captain. Instantly bringing up the enormous spiked-ball attached to the chain wrapped around him, 'big muscle guy' threw the said object un-hesitantly towards the frowning blonde; a smirk appearing across his lips as he saw the man frozen in place.

Though, un-expectedly to the audience and 'big muscle man'- the ball never reached the Captain.

Instead, the blonde was directly above the 'ball', faster than anyone  _including Luffy_  would have expected.

Lifting his leg without ease, the Whitebeard Captain simply touched the tip of the ball with his foot. Suddenly, a gushing aura hit the the air instantly, sending countless of the other contestants backwards or fighting to stay afoot. Luffy's pupils widened considerably, tensing as he heard a ' _crack_ ' sound from the giant spiked-ball, his mouth becoming agape as it snapped in two.

"..."

Silence.

Nobody spoke a word, all eyes staring directly at the two perfectly cut remains from the ball. The Captain himself lightly landed on the ground, his eyes shadowed.

Luffy slowly glanced over to Bellamy, not shocked by the amount of fright placed on the man's face. Holding himself back from cheering Bellamy on, he looked back to the Whitebeard Captain.

To his surprise, Marco was looking directly at him; sending him a stare which simply told Luffy that ' _h_ _e wasn't messing around._ '

Taking a deep breath, Luffy stared back at the blonde with emotionless features; knowing too well that this man was  _strong._

"...Right." He whispered out, his gaze not leaving the blonde once. Suddenly, a grin ushered across the youngster's face, causing the Whitebeard Captain to raise an eyebrow. Letting a small laugh escape his lips, Luffy continued on. "I understand. I'll go all out as well."

Hearing this, the blonde closed his eyes, allowing for the contestants to regain their breath's and prepare their attacks. "I'm glad...- _yoi_."

* * *

Zoro wasn't exactly comfortable about his current situation. Peering over to where his long-nosed companion sat, he inwardly sighed. He saw the man talking alongside little- _men?_  as he told them of his 'many' adventures.

_Honestly, the man's lies were getting more ridiculous by the day._

A slight giggle could be heard to the left of him, causing him to gaze over to the said 'giggler'. He frowned slightly when he saw it was Robin, for he knows she could clearly see what he was thinking. With that thought, Zoro smirked slightly, leaning further into the tree-stump as he closed his eye.

Perhaps this situation wasn't so bad.

After-all, he had finally gotten Shusui back by his side, and as far as he knew, all his crew-members were safe and out of harms way-  _which for this crew_ , was rare.

"Gah! W-what the hell are those?!"

... _Maybe not._

Twitching at the sound of that  _clown's_ voice, Zoro inwardly shivered, thinking back to their encounter on the first island him and Luffy visited.

"You there! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" The same voice screeched towards Zoro, a sudden stabbing of a fingertip pinging on the swords-man forehead. Gradually opening his eye to face the  _clown_ , Zoro sent one of his most deadly glares, causing the said  _clown_ to yelp and run towards Robin.

"You don't have to be so unsociable swordsman-san, he's only saying 'hello'." Robin commented, smirking at the whole situation she had found herself in.

Buggy fidgeted, sulking in the opposite corner in the room. "W-why does thi-s st-stuff always happen to me?" He mumbled under his breath. "First it was Straw-hat's brother, no-now this..."

This instantly caught the attention of the two listening straw-hats, Robin loosing her smirk.

"Luffy's brother?" She questioned, causing Zoro to scowl.

Mentioning anything along the lines of 'brother' or 'Ace' seemed to be a taboo on the ship, everyone wincing when Marineford is even  _mentioned._

Hearing it out here now, it brought back the many  _unwanted_ memories of two years ago to the swordsman. And in this current moment, he felt the sudden urge to kill the  _clown_ for mentioning the words, but didn't, due to Robin's threatening hand placed on his shoulder.

Jumping at her response, Buggy instantly grew back his ego; laughing disgustingly to the side as he loudly started to proclaim.

"Ah?! Has that little comment caught your interests?!" Prancing up to Robin, he stuck his head close towards hers, trying his best to give a threatening aura. " _Well._  I'm afraid I won't talk unless I get something in return."

Remaining emotionless, Robin blinked. "Oh? And what would that be?"

Stepping backwards, Buggy was surprised by the sudden co-operation, horridly smirking towards both her and the swordsman. "Have your Captain bow down to me, and then I  _might_ be willing to answer your questions."

"..." Robin remained silent, before looking towards Zoro with a pleasant smile on her face.

Raising his eyebrow, Zoro confusedly glanced back at Robin, before her grip on his shoulder suddenly became light.

"Swordsman-san, I apologize for holding you back this long." Liking the look of what Robin was suggesting, Zoro started to smirk back towards the  _clown_ ; twitching to grab a hold of one of his swords. "...Would you do the honor?"

" _Gladly_." Zoro stated, his tone tinted with amusement. Smiling broadly, Zoro reached down to grasp the tips of his swords, causing the  _clown_ to suddenly yelp once more in fright.

"W-W-What a-are you d-doing?" He questioned, backing away slightly from the duo.

Robin simply continued to smile towards the man, before letting out a cheerful statement. "We would be happy to oblige, but don't you think it's best if you were to simply tell us now? After all, we wouldn't want anything to  _accidentally_ happen to you while we search for our Captain, right?" Her words oozing with threat, Robin smirked, causing Buggy to gulp.

"Y-You know what?  _Only_ because I-I feel like a change of heart, I'll tell you. D-D-Don't worry about that Captain business." Buggy replied, nearly collapsing from fright.

Hearing this, Zoro frowned, childishly putting back the sword he had half-drawed out. Once again, Robin laughed; causing the  _clown_  to step back even further.

"Oh? How kind of you."

Sighing, Buggy sat down onto the floor, crossing over his legs and his arms with a pout. "I-I was attacked b-by the ghost of Straw-hat's brother back in Loranco- an island not too far from here."

Not expecting such a strange comment coming from the man, both Robin and Zoro stared with surprise and curiosity.

"Attacked?" Robin questioned, her eyes slightly widened.

Nodding, Buggy continued on. "He was hooded and everything!" He dramatised this by throwing his hands into the air, causing the duo to both inwardly sigh. "He demanded to know where Straw-hat was."

"And?" Zoro asked, trying to hide his interest in the  _clown's_ words.

Sighing, Buggy brought his hands down from the sky with a thud, closing his eyes while he continued to nod. "S-so I told him. He then asked if there were any ships nearby, and since there was none but mine..." Buggy quietened at the end, leaving a gush of wind to simply sweep by the three.

Both Robin and Zoro stayed quiet, already knowing the what the clown was implying. Clenching his fists, Zoro frowned; his eye narrowing towards the ground.

It was impossible, it had to be.

He,  _along with everyone else,_  had seen the newspaper's, had discussed with witnesses what had happened during the war. And all had said that Luffy's brother had died, protecting the younger from being hit. He doubted Luffy wouldn't of brought it up either, the kid couldn't keep something that serious to himself.

So, the only possible explanation was that the  _clown_  before him was lying. But from taking one glance at the shaking  _clown_ , that idea was slowly becoming less believable.

"So, you brought Captain-san's  _brother_..." Robin herself twitched at her words, knowing well what she was saying couldn't possibly be true. "...here?"

Whispering out the last words, Zoro looked eagerly towards the  _clown_ for answers, scowling even more once he saw the slight nod of  _his_ head.

Hearing a sigh sounded next to him, the swordsman glanced up to the equally frowning woman, questioning her actions.

Standing there with her hand brought towards her chin, Robin's pupils glazed over. Closing her eyes for a split of a second, she seemed to come to an agreement in her mind; ushering for the swordsman to stand up. "Very well then. We better get searching for him."

Astonished by Robin's decision, both Zoro and Buggy stared at her with widened eyes.

"It looks like it's not going to be as peaceful exchange as we had hoped for Swordsman-san."


	16. Chapter 16

As unique as this situation was to Vista, he still couldn't completely come to terms with it.

Ace was alive.

There wasn't any other explanation he could now come up with as to how he was seeing his alive-and-should-be-dead brother acting as he would back then, back before Marineford; before everything.

Seeing him like that, he would be lying is he said some part of him still wasn't freaking out. It unnerved him, it was like nothing had changed.

Despite believing Haruta's words, the swordsman still had his doubts. He'd seen Ace fall from the colosseum, had seen the blood pouring from his head. If Akainu's attack hadn't killed him, that definitely should of. He couldn't just buy into his revival as simple as that, he wouldn't let himself.

Yes, for now, he would just observe 'Ace'.

Looking over to where the said ex-Commander was standing, Vista slightly smiled. Placing a hand over his head, he gradually made his way over to his siblings, a strained sigh escaping his lips.

Though he couldn't help the happiness that filled him, seeing his family happy again.

"And what…" Vista started, closing the silence which hung among them. "…are you supposed to do with that?"

Hearing these words, Haruta began to shuffle, her words filled with confusion. "I only met the guy who gave this to me today, he just told me he needed my help'."

"Needed your help? For what? And who even was this guy anyway?" Ace asked, crossing his arms.

Taking a place next to Ace, Vista grumbled; his head still turning from the situation he found himself in. "Whoa, calm down with all the questions there."

Staring at the ex-Commander, Haruta's eyes seemed to widen; an important thought crossing over her mind. "Wait, Sabo?" She whispered to herself, though was instantly thankful her brother didn't hear it. Looking away from Ace, she shook her head. "He, he never said."

Raising his eyebrow's at his sister's sudden hesitance, Ace blinked. "He never said?" He bluntly stated, making the girl jump from her spot.

"...Ask her what she said again." The Voice sudden perked up, it's tone shocked. "She's hiding something."

Ace twitched, glaring towards the Voice's figure. "You really are going to keep pointing out obvious things, aren't you?"

Surprised that Ace actually replied,the Voice smirked, slowly crossing it's arms across each-other. "You know, if you weren't such an idiot I might have been willing to tell you what I thought she said." Finishing it's words with a hushed tone, a glazed look passed through the Voice's eyes; sadness filling them.

Blinking the estranged look away, it smirked; sticking out it's tongue slightly. "I don't 'wanna."

Scowling, Ace childishly turned away from the Voice's sight, mumbling out a mixture of insults. "Brat."

"What did you just call me?" Turning his face towards the noise, Ace found Haruta staring a few centimeters away from his nose appeared, a pissed-off glare uttering her eyes. Inwardly gulping from his sister's glare, Ace instantly re-thought over his previous words, his face paling slightly.

"No!- No I didn't mean you!" Flinging his palms up in front of him, he sent Haruta his most convincing smile; sighing with relief as she backed away.

Despite the timid and feeble appearance his sister gave to people, Ace knew better. One rule in the Crew was to not piss Haruta off, no matter what situation you're in.

Unfortunately, he had to learn that the hard way.

Inwardly shivering from the thought, Ace returned his stare back to Haruta, an idea popping up in his mind. "So," He started, causing Vista who was previously relaxing?- to tune in as well. "...instead of just moping around here, why don't we check out that circled place on the map?"

Seeing the confused stares that his siblings sent him, he continued on; an embarrassed smile crossing his lips. "Well, it's been a while since I've been on anything remotely 'mission-y'..." Immediately, both Commander's sweat-dropped, an unamused look passing through their eyes. "...with you guys, not to mention it sounds like this guy needs our help!" He stated with a cheery tune in his tone, causing Haruta and Vista to go silent.

Blinking, Haruta's mouth slowly became agape; her eyes widening slightly. "I-I think that's a very bad idea."

"Of course she would think that." The Voice pitched in, though it's words were faded with anger?

Sending the Voice a confused and seemingly worried stare, Ace narrowed his eyebrows. "What's up with you?" He questioned, causing the Voice to simply look away.

"Great, now he's talking to himself again!" Haruta shouted to the sky above; an equally confused Vista silently nodding to her words.

Twitching, Ace looked back towards the two;his joyful smile returning as he remembered his previous statement. "How can it be a bad idea? Where's your sense of adventure?" Taunting out the last word with a tint of amusement, Ace smirked, a chuckle escaping his lips as he saw Haruta pout.

"I think we may need to be going there anyway." Vista interrupted, letting out another sigh. "After all, Marco's there right now fighting for your fruit." Sending Ace a regretful glare at the word 'your', the ex-Commander paled; his eyes widening at the swordsman's statement.

"W-What?!" Haruta exclaimed, bringing his fists up to her chest. "When the hell did this happen?"

Glancing over to Haruta for a second, Vista closed his eyes. Stepping up from where he was previously leaning, the top-hatted man pondered; his eyes opening as his stare returned to Ace. "He entered the tournament after discovering your fruit was the prize. It happened just after he left the ship."

"And you didn't stop him?!"

"How was I supposed to? At the time, it seemed right! Heck, I was even wondering if I wanted to join him…" Vista replied, a slightly irritated look passing through his features. "After all, I've known that idiot long enough to know that he wasn't going to change his mind, no matter what I would have said."

Finding no words to reply with, Haruta gazed down, hesitantly biting her lip.

Standing against the bolder speechless, Ace's eyes shadowed over slightly, his hand slowly hovering over his back. Gradually grabbing a hold of an item covered by his cloak, a familiar orange-bedded hat appeared; grabbing the attention of the fellow two people in the area.

Bringing the object down onto his head, Ace's eyes peered towards the ground above, a scowl appearing on his features. "So, how do we get out of here?"

Blinking out of her daze, Haruta joined Ace with her gaze towards the 'sky', a sigh escaping her lips. "Well, I'm no scientist, but I'm pretty sure gravity won't let us go out that way."

Noting her words, Ace nodded; his stare falling onto the hidden walls around them. Smirking, Ace flicked the top of his hat, glancing at the two Commander's behind him. "Well, I've got an idea."

"No." Haruta bluntly stated.

"What?! You haven't even heard it ye-"

Interrupting his words, Haruta placed both her hands on her hips, her eyebrow's slightly narrowing. "I don't need to hear it to know that it's going to be a stupid idea."

Placing a hand on his chest, Ace sent Haruta an amused smirk. "Ouch, that hurts."

"Well, we might as well hear him out." Vista butted in, making the fire-thrower smirk even wider.

"Don't go on his sid-!" Before Haruta could finish her words, a sudden flickering noise echoed the room-? one that was quickly found to be coming from the ex-Commander's arm.

Bringing his feet off of the ground, Ace started to walk towards the tips of the 'hidden' walls, a grin permanently placed on his lips. Letting his fingers crackle with fire, he examined the wall for a short amount of time, before flinging his arm slightly backwards. "Yup. Here will do."

Raising an eyebrow at his actions, Haruta suspiciously called out to him; not liking the familiar posture he was getting into. "…Ace? What are you doing?"

Flaring the tips of his fingers to his shoulder with flames, the ex-Commander flung his hand into the air, slamming it harshly into the centre of the wall. Silence echoed the area instantly, the only movement coming from the two other occupants, their eyes widening in confusion.

Suddenly, a bellowing sound hit the air, both Haruta and Vista's eyes widening considerably more as they watched a gigantic crack form in the centre of the wall.

Unfortunately though, it didn't stop there, for gradually; the 'sky' above shifted, causing Ace to bring back his hand from the wall and utter an "Oh" from his lips.

"ACE!" Haruta screamed at the top of her voice, stumbling back slightly as she watched the familiar boulders crumbled down from the sky.

"W-What the hell were you trying to do?!" The Voice exclaimed with fear, its words stumbling over each other.

Standing there in silence, Ace continued to stare above. Hesitantly pointing above, Ace whispered, gulping in his words. "Not…that."

Bringing Ace out of his thought, Vista shouted to him from the field of boulders. "Run you idiot!"

Following Vista's words, Ace pelted from where he was previously standing; paling as glanced back to the avalanche of debris falling behind him. "Oh shit, that's not what I had in mind!"

"Did you really think that you could escape through a hole in the wall?!" The Voice commented next to him, trying it's best to keep up with Ace's running.

Gritting his teeth together, Ace pointed at the Voice's face; a pissed off glare directed at the others. "I didn't see you come up with a better plan!"

"Any plan is better than this plan, you idiotic pirate!"

"My name is Ace! A.C.E."

"Like hell I'm calling you that!"

"ACE! Duck inside there!" A different voice called out to him, the fire-thrower instantly recognising it as Vista. Glancing towards the Commander, he saw the man point towards an area in front of him, a terrified look in his eyes.

Ignoring the look for now, Ace searched the area in which Vista was pointing to, relieved to see an opening carved into the 'hidden' wall. Speeding up his already desperate steps, Ace reached the opening, though was immediately clouded by dust escaping from the debris.

Blinded, Ace stumbled back; his steps crossing over each other as he fell against rugged wall behind. Deafened by the sounds of the 'avalanche' passing by, Ace covered his ears, waiting endlessly for the sound to falter.

Gradually, the sounds disappeared, leaving behind an echoed silence surrounding the area Ace had now found himself in. Hesitantly opening his eyes, Ace stirred, the air catching his breath dryly as he coughed; trying to clear his mouth from the dust.

"Where the hell," He mumbled out, his eyes clearing slightly. "…am I?"

Blinking a few times, Ace brought his hand up to his eyebrows, his pupils widening slightly.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

He had been buried alive… again.


	17. Chapter 17

"And why the hell," An irritating voice hit the air, causing the swordsman trudging in front to suddenly growl. "-are we searching for Straw-hat's brother?"

Deciding that the green-haired man would not suit best to respond, Robin glanced behind her; a bland look uttering her features. "You didn't have to come along Clown-san. We would have been easily content if you were to have stayed back at the Gnome's village." Sending the clown an innocent smile, the said man grumbled; childishly looking to the side.

"I have some business with the man anyway. Don't think  _I'm_  coming along with  _you_  because I want to." Mumbling the words under his breath, Buggy pouted; annoyed at the silent responses he was receiving. "Didn't you hear me? I said I wasn't coming along becau-"

"Oh  _believe_  me." A different voice spat out, Zoro swiftly turning around to face the clown with a glare. " _We heard you._ " Gripping the handles of his swords tightly, Zoro narrowed his eye towards the now-quivering clown; slightly dis-pleased when a familiar hand reached out to his shoulder.

Glancing over to the owner of the hand, Zoro hesitantly let go of his swords; sending the clown one last pissed glare before continuing their walk through the tunnelled out corridors that lay beneath Dressrosa. Silence hung awkwardly between the trio, the only noise coming from the defeated Buggy.

"This is stupid."

"You haven't got the right to call anything stupid,  _big-nose_." Slightly smirking at his own statement, Zoro earned a chuckle from both him and Robin; his smirk becoming prouder as he heard the ego snap in the clown behind him.

"B-B-Big..." Buggy hardly stuttered out, his nose running slightly as he pathetically reached out to the swordsman in front of him.

"Nose." Zoro finished for him, earning another laugh from his crew-mate beside him.

Faltering from his steps, Buggy leaned against the tunnel's wall, his eyes glaring tirelessly at the swordsman. "...You just wait 'till I tell Straw-hat about this."

Raising his eyebrow, Zoro glanced behind, not expecting the clown to mutter out that threat. "Luffy? Why would he care about this."

Cockily smirking towards the swordsman, Buggy's eyes glistened, his posture straightening with each step. Placing both of his hands onto his hips, the clown looked around sarcastically, his eyes still however directed towards Zoro.

"Oh? Did you say something to  _me_?" Tinting his voice with pride at the words 'me', Buggy slowed down his steps.

Glancing over to Robin, Zoro twitched; mumbling under his breath. "He just doesn't learn- does he?"

Halting her steps, Robin fully turned towards Buggy; her face expression-less. "We were asking what Luffy has got to do with this _-_ Sir. Buggy."

Chuckling under his breath, Zoro turned towards Robin, his arms crossed over his chest. "Sir? Your not seriously buying up his stupid story, are you Ro-"

"I expect you to treat him the same, swordsman-san. After-all, this  _man_ in front of us just got accepted into the Shichibukai. It would be rude not to show him some respect."

Stumbling back slightly, Zoro's eye widened, his face comically turning around to face Robin. "... _What?_ " Hissing his words out under his breath, Zoro's mouth hung slightly agape, robotically turning his head towards Buggy's. "He's a-"

"That's right  _Roronoa Zoro_ \- It is  _me_! The leader of The Pirate Dispatch! Feared across the lands of the Grand-"

Bluntly interrupting his proclamation, Robin continued on; ignoring the un-believing stare penetrating from her crew-mate. "So, as you were saying. What has this got to do with our Captain?"

Lowering his hands from his hips, Buggy glanced questionably at Robin, before nodding slightly. "Me and Straw-hat have history together." Growing back his putrid smirk, Buggy pointed towards the two; his eyes gleaming with pride. "He owes me after all! If it wasn't for me, Straw-hat wouldn't have probably survived two-years ago."

Feeling the tension in the tunnel grow thin, both Robin and Zoro's lips scowled; their eyes fading slightly.

Gritting down on his teeth, Zoro got ready to speak, though Robin hastily beat him to it. "I see. So I'm right to assume that you would consider yourself a 'friend' of Captain-san?"

Twitching at her words, Zoro sent Robin another curious glare. "Luffy considers nearly everyone his friend. I wouldn't be surprised if he thought of you in the same way-  _minus_ the time when you tried to decapitate him." Turning back around to continue the walk down the tunnel, he winced his eyes; staying silent.

Sweat-dropping for a moment as the swordsman mumbled out his concern, Buggy shook his head; turning his attention back to Robin. " _Team-mates_ is something I would prefer to use. After all, Straw-hat would never become privileged enough to become friends with m-"

"So," Robin once again interrupted, a forced smile tugging on her lips. "...seeing as you're  _friends_ \- or as you prefer to say, _team-mates_ , don't you think it would be in your favor to help us find Captain-san's brother? After all, that seems like something a ' _team-mate_ ' would do."

Seeing where his crew-mate was going in this, Zoro 'hmph'-ed; smirking slightly.

Brought back by her words, Buggy stuttered, slowly looking to the side. "I-I guess." Looking back at the Straw-hat pirate's with his new-found pride, Buggy marched forward, causing Robin to inwardly sigh. "We shouldn't be waiting here then!- Let us go and find Straw-hat's brother right away!"

Holding out his hand in front of Buggy's chest, Zoro frowned. "Halt right there. You might want to look at this first."

"Eh?" Buggy cringed out, his pupils wandering around.

Gracefully walking up to the frozen duo, Robin's eyebrow raised slightly. "Well, it looks like that might be a way out."

* * *

"This is bad." Ace stated out, his voice echoing out onto the newly-built stone wall in front of him.

" _And you say that I point out the obvious things._ " The Voice butted in, though it's tone was also reeked in concern.

Twitching at its voice, Ace instantly walked towards the cobbled wall, hitting it with all his strength. "Vista-  _Haruta_? Can you hear me?!"

Silence echoed the 'room' after his words, causing the two inhabitants to inwardly gulp.

Turning around, Ace's pupils darted everywhere, seeing no place to escape from. Gritting his teeth, he worriedly brushed his fingers through his hair; before settling down on the floor below. "I," He started, catching the attention of the Voice. "...have  _no_ luck."

" _You don't say_."

Lifting his head from his fingers, Ace's eyes were directed towards the Voice, his own eyebrow raising. "So are you going to tell me?"

Surprised by the pirate's words, the Voice jumped slightly, it's hands crossed over each other. " _What_ _?_ "

Sighing, Ace leaned back onto the 'rooms' wall; his eyes slightly glazed with tiredness. "Who you are-  _what_ you are."

Catching the full attention of the Voice, it stared at him with widened eyes, before instantly turning it's head away. " _It's_ _none of your business_."

"None of  _my_ business?!" Ace immediately replied, his mouth slightly agape. "You're a  _Voice_ in my  _head_ that only  _I_ can see! Not to mention you  _pushed_ me off the top of a colosseum! How is that not my business?!"

Frowning slightly, it continued to face away from Ace; a hint of a pout appearing on it's lips. " _Just,_ " It started, quietening Ace from his rant. "... _j_ _ust forget about it- the whole 'me pushing you off the roof' thing._ " Barely sounding it's words, the figure's voice wobbled; causing Ace to stare at it with surprise.

"Forget about it?"

" _Yeah!_ " The Voice instantly replied, it's hands falling to it's sides. The figure's head turned towards Ace, it's eyebrow's narrowing. " _It's not like I **wanted** to do it! You think I want to be here, I want this to be over already!_" Nearly screaming out it's words, the Voice looked close to tears. " _I never wanted to do any of this shit! If it wasn't for-_ " It started to mumble, losing focus on the conversation itself. " _Just forget about it, okay?!_ "

Silence.

Blinking slightly, Ace stared wide eyed at the figure. Bringing his mouth open to say something, the ex-Commander's eyes glazed over; his mouth shutting once more.

_Huh, so it does have thoughts of it's own._

Shaking his head, the fire-thrower sighed.

_...I really am losing my mind._

Nodding slightly in response to the Voice, Ace grew a small frown, though didn't say a thing about it. Bringing his gaze towards the wall behind the Voice, his eyes winced slightly.

A light.

There was a light!

And where light was- was also some sign of life.

Bringing himself off the ground, Ace hesitantly walked towards the small light beckoning from a crack in the wall; his hand tracing over the said crack lightly.

"Get out the way."

"... _What?_ "

Sighing, Ace looked down towards the Voice; his pupils filled with  _guilt?-_  "If you don't get out the way, I'll probably end up accidentally hitting you along with this."

" _And what would it be that you're hitting?_ "

Suddenly grinning at the Voice's words, Ace looked dangerously towards the wall; clenching his fists together. "I found our way out."

" _What?- wait stop! You know how well that went last time, you idiot! Get away from me!_ "

Twitching at the now  _common_  insult which sounded from the Voice, Ace pulled his fists back, ignoring the rest of the Voice's words. Lighting up almost instantly, Ace's mouth once again grew into a smirk, his fists easily connecting onto the  _now_ crumbling wall in front him; lowering his arm as a path opened up before him.

Not realizing the Voice was standing a few feet behind him, he was immediately sounded to a gasp of amazement. Turning his head down towards the Voice, he chuckled slightly under his breath; surprised to see the figure to astonished by a simple hit.

"See?" Smirking, Ace took a step forward into the newly-made path. "Told you I would find our way out."

" _I didn't think you'd actually do it._ " The Voice mumbled, it's eyes widening as it looked down at the path they had found. Looking back up to Ace, it smirked, once again crossing it's hands over it's chest. " _So you're not entirely useless, idiot._ "

Loosing his smirk, Ace twitched; narrowing his eyes. "My name is  _Ace_. It's not that hard to pronounce  _Brat_."

Also twitching at it's new nickname, the Voice glared towards the fire-thrower; a pissed-off pout appearing on it's lips. " _I'm not calling you that. I.D.I.O.T._ "

Letting out a deep sigh, the ex-Commander took a step forward; his eyes going glassy all-of-a-sudden. "I...already...told...yo-" As soon as the last word was said, Ace instantly fell to the ground.

Silence.

" _O-Oi._ " The Voice suddenly mumbled, it's pupils shaking slightly. Stumbling over to where Ace fell, the Voice dropped down to it's knees; slowly bringing it's hands over the fire-thrower. " _Hey! What's wrong?!_ "

Silence, when-

"... _Ace?!_ "

-suddenly a soft snore hit the air.

* * *

Kicking down the door in front of them, Zoro un-hesitantly stepped forward; his hands grazing the swords by his side. Quickly checking all around the area the door led too, Zoro glanced behind him with a nod.

"Isn't there a more gentle way to open a door, swordsman-san?" Robin asked, stepping gracefully over the  _now_ shattered door before her.

Grunting in response, Zoro edgily brought his hand away from his swords; not sensing anyone in distance. Turning his head back towards his crew-mate and the  _clown_ , Zoro sighed. "Looks like no-one's here."

"Well," Buggy's voice instantly hit the air, causing the swordsman to twitch. "...thank you for that input there,  _Grass_ - _head_."

Robin sighed at the immaturity of the clown, a frown edging down her lips as she took in the scenery.

It wouldn't be an insane idea for any of the trio to still think they were underground, for the only light source came from the gigantic metal goblet placed in the center of the rounded hallway. Golden stone,  _though properly placed unlike those in the tunnel,_ bricks were perfectly layered on the walls; giving the hallway a more frightening tone.

-It looked like this place was looked after,  _so where was everyone_?

Suddenly, a crash beckoned from the opposite side of the hallway, catching the attention of the trio.

Tripping out of the door-frame was a ridiculously dressed chariot-girl, a huge feather placed upon her head. Her pupils visibly widened at the sight of the alerted trio, her head tilting slightly. "Um..."

With Zoro, Robin and Buggy frozen in space, it seemed like the heavy silence continued forever; before the girl simply smiled. "You must be here to see the tournament!" She boldly stated, causing the three to also tilt there heads slightly.

"Don't worry!" Skipping over to where they were standing, the girl softly took a hold of Buggy's hand, nudging towards the door-frame she appeared from. "I get lost in here all the time as well!"

"L-Let go of m-" Buggy stuttered out, looking back toward Zoro and Robin; his eyes gleaming with ' _Help Me_ '.

Letting out a small chuckle, Robin followed the girl and Buggy, noting for Zoro to join them.

Curious, Zoro hesitantly followed the trio; his voice tinted with entrigue. "What's this tournament you were talking about?" He asked, earning a tired look from Robin.

"Eh?" The girl innocently replied, though was immediately cut off my Robin.

"What my associate was meaning to ask was what is this tournament  _about_." Sending the girl a peaceful smile, Robin giggled slightly, clapping both her hands together. "I'm afraid we came here with no idea about it, so I was wondering-?"

Zoro inwardly sighed, looking towards the girl as-well for answers.

"Oh!- I see!" Opening the door in front of her, the girl stepped forward into yet another hall-way, though this time; it was narrow. "It's amazing that you haven't heard already! There have been participants coming from all over the Grand-line to win the prize at the tournament here today!- Hmm, what was it again?"

Halting in her steps, the girl furrowed her eyebrow's, before her eyes lit up with recognition. "That's right! The Mera Mera no Mi Devil Fruit that everyone's going crazy about! It's here as a prize for whoever wins the tournament!"

Continuing in her steps, the girl was unaware of the sudden death glares from the two Straw-hat Pirate's which was now directed at the clown.

Biting down on her lip, Robin breifly glanced towards Zoro; relieved to see that he too knew what the 'Mera Mera no Mi' fruit was.

Mumbling under his breath so that only Robin could hear, Zoro sighed. " _So he was lying?_ "

" _It would seem. Though I find it hard to believe why._ "

" _'Cause he's a narcissistic idiot. What's more to say?_ "

Robin chuckled, before instantly placing her hand over her lips. " _It's funny to see how affected you are by him, Zoro_." Giggling slightly more as Zoro twitched, Robin continued on. " _Though I think it would be naive of us to not go to this tournament._ "

Raising an eyebrow, Zoro stared at Robin; a confused glaze peering from his eyes. " _What?_ "

" _I doubt Clown-san would think to lie to us like that, especially when he was under threat from you. He's way too in love with himself to put himself in danger._ " Staring at the door they were now approaching, Robin's lips drew a line; her expression growing dim. " _So I would like to investigate closer, if you don't mind._ "

Letting out another sigh, Zoro looked to the side; a small breeze hitting all their faces. Looking up, he saw the girl ( _with Buggy still in hand_ ) smile both back at him and Robin, pushing open a door. "Just this way!"

Just as they were stepping out, a huge applause hit the air. Before Zoro could take in the appearance of a  _arena_ _?-_ Robin once again whispered in his ear.

" _After all, swordsman-san. What would our Captain do if he heard of this as well?_ "

Almost instantly, Zoro's pupil's grew; suddenly realizing the reason his crew-mate wanted to stay.

As both of them hesitantly sat down next to the shaking Clown, there was only one thing on their minds.

That there was no doubt their Captain would be in this tournament.

* * *

"Sabo, despite the time we have spent together, there is no way you are going to get me to do  _that_." Koala's voice echoed through the deserted alleyway, a quietened " _t_ _ch_ " replying in her words.

"It's the best way if we want to avoid being discovered by the citizens here." Sabo stated back, his neck leaning against a cobbled wall. Crossing his hands over his chest, Sabo sighed; quickly glancing up to his colleague that was glaring at him with doubt.

Obviously displeased with the response, Koala yanked Sabo's collar upwards; meeting his eyes with warning. "The only thing it's going to be doing is getting us  _killed_. I would  _much_ prefer disobeying my orders than fighting  _him_!"

Glaring back at her, Sabo's eyes narrowed. "You won't be. I'll be the one fighting in his place. All you've got to do is distract the both of them for enough time for me to trade places." Continuing to stare at the girl with emotionless eyes, the blonde placed his hand over Koala, silently telling her to 'let go'.

Letting out a defeated sigh, Koala's expression instantly changed; a smiled uttering her lips. Letting go of the blonde's collar, she beamed out an innocent laugh. "You owe me then,  _Sa-bo!_ " Tinting the last words with threat, the said man gulped; wincing slightly as he received a dangerous yet playful glare from the knife-wielding girl.

Standing up from where he was dropped, Sabo quickly dusted himself off; returning his glance over to his companion. "So, I'm guessing we're done here?"

Letting her laugh faint away, Koala let out another sigh. "Yup..." Popping the 'p' on her words, she grinned towards Sabo; placing her hands over her hips. "So until then, I suggest we go and check something out."

Not expecting for the other to proclaim this, Sabo raised his eyebrow. Staring at Koala with confusion, Sabo barely managed to stutter out his question, his tone tinted with curiosity. " _You_ want to go somewhere?"

Immediately realizing the look she was receiving, Koala pouted; turning away from the blonde with a huff. "Don't act so surprised!" Mumbling out the last of her words, Koala's eyes narrowed, her voice becoming hesitant. "...There's something that we need to check out."

Hearing the hesitation in her tone, Sabo immediately straightened his posture; his previous expressions turning serious. "Work related then, I'm guessing?"

Nodding in response, Koala bit her lip. "Though, if it's anything like the rumors are saying is true," Stepping out from the shadowed alleyway, Koala focused her stare towards the looming colosseum; her pupils glazing over. "...Then it might be best to abandon this mission than go through with it."

Eyes widening at her statement, Sabo instantly rushed over to where she was standing; his posture surprised and shocked from the girl's conclusion. "What? Now you want to leave?"

Briefly glancing over to the blonde's eyes, Koala sent Sabo a saddened smile. "Of course not, It wouldn't be  _as_ interesting if we were to instantly choose the best option."

"...Then what? What's going to happen Koala?"

Picking up her feet, Koala took a few steps forward; before peering over her shoulder. "The Marines. They're coming."

With the air growing thinner, Sabo's pupils grew; realization of the girl's fears crossing over his own mind.

"This whole competition is a trap set by the Marines. They're coming for Luffy."


	18. Chapter 18

_When in a time of questioning.  
_

_People start to wonder about their deepest regrets._

_Why do they do this you ask?_

_Because it is the only thing keeping them human,_

_...and not into something that ceases to feel._

* * *

Marco would be lying to say he hadn't felt this powerful in a long time. Unlike the past couple of years, he had found a reason to fight.

Of course, the time spent as the two years passed hadn't been wasted. He could even remember times where he had regained meaning, seeing his brothers recovering and smiling once more.

- _Heck_. Even he had times where he smiled and moved on from the war, enjoying his time alive.

But the memories always bit back, and when they did, it  _hurt_.

Staring at the white-clothed dressed man and his accomplice with a slight frown, Marco closed his eyes. Feeling their steps suddenly start to pound their way towards him, Marco effortlessly brought up his leg; swerving to the side gracefully and meeting his heel with the others sword. Flinging the said weapon out of the white-clothed man's hand, he brought his arm up, sending a confident punch towards his face and into his accomplice.

Hearing the cheers of the crowd heighten, Marco regained his posture, looking for the next attacker.

"You're here with Straw-hat, aren't you?" A blonde scarred man declared from behind, causing Marco to turn and stare with annoyance.

Straw-hat.

Ace's brother, the one he was going to fight.

The one that he fought alongside with at Marineford.

Marineford.

_...Damn the memories._

Twitching at the name, Marco casually sighed; putting both hands inside his pockets. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I saw you two talking. Making some alliance, I'm guessing."

_Alliance?_  Giving out a small chuckle, Marco swiftly shook his head, a slight smirk on his lips. "Quite the opposite actually." Quickly however, the smirk was gone, for the scarred blonde instantly attacked; his legs turning into springs and aiming towards the phoenix's head.

Seeing this attack come from the very beginning, Marco lifted his left hand up from his pocket; catching the man's foot immediately. Surprising the other blonde, he instantly reverted his other foot towards Marco's stomach, lightly touching it, before it was once again caught, this time by the other hand.

"Let go you bastard!" The scarred blonde yelled, struggling to get out of the Captain's grip.

Letting out a final sigh before he knocked the scarred man out, Marco was stopped, his eyes widening at the sound of someone else yelling.

"...Come on Bellamy! You can do it!"

Hearing the colosseum go eerily silent, all eyes perched onto the one supporter of the losing blonde. All eyes fell on a fellow contestant, suspiciously looking like an old-man done up in a gladiator costume. A sight which Marco had already seen twice.

Letting out a small smile, Marco continued with his sigh, glancing back towards his opponent with guilt. Seeing the scarred blonde look astonished and embarrassed by the 'old-man', the Phoenix gradually let go of the grip on his left hand. "Looks like you've got a fan, Bellamy."

Anger instantly seeking out of the now-hobbling blonde, 'Bellamy' turned red, raising up his fist again. "S-Shut up!"

Returning his lips to a straightened line, Marco let his hand fall, his eyes closing gracefully. "I'm sorry." Seeing Bellamy look questionably towards him, Marco clenched his fists together. Instantly disappearing from the scarred blonde's sight, Marco re-appeared behind him; throwing his fist backwards and straight towards the center of the scarred man's head. Surprising both the audience and the fellow competitors, Bellamy fell to the floor immediately, knocked out and unconscious.

**/**   _"I'm sorry."_   **/** **  
**

Once again the colosseum grew silent, no cheers erupting from the crowds.

Taking this as a chance to attack, a ridiculously dressed boxer aimed for a blind spot in Marco's attacking range, his smile widening as he saw Marco stay in his spot. Raising his fist to the height of his crown, the boxer gritted his teeth, letting out a yell. "King's... Punch!"

Seconds away from hitting his target, the said target turned around, instantly placing his leg vertically in the air; a small blue flame flickering off the edge of it. Not saying a word, Marco swung his foot into the boxer's face, sending him flying into the opposite direction; crashing into the crowds above.

**/** _"I'm sorry."_   **/**

"Pathetic, you're not even using the your Devil Fruit to the best of it's abilities." A proud tall man with man with wavy blue hair proclaimed, slowly grabbing the attention of the phoenix. Staring at the 'tall' blankly, Marco looked to the side; ignoring the man and counting the contestants that were left.

_Six. There were six lef-_

Watching as a kimono-dressed fishman fell to the ground, Marco let out a sigh.

_...Make that five left._

"Are you listening to me,  _Phoenix_?" Spilling his words with sarcasm, the blue haired man frowned, placing his hands on his hips. Glancing once more to the man, Marco shrugged, letting up his hands into the air.

Twitching at the blonde's actions, the 'tall' one pounced; aiming his truly heightened legs towards Marco's face with anger.

Twisting his arms instantly, Marco swiftly threw the 'tall' to the ground, brushing off his hands with a glazed look in his eyes.

**/**   _"I'm sorry."_ **/** **  
**

"D-Damn you..." The blue haired man uttered, before closing his eyes.

**/**   _"I'm sorry." **/**_

Gritting both his teeth and fingers together, Marco looked towards the remaining competitors; though his mind was clouded.

**/** _"I'm sorry."_ _The whisper was small, but it wasn't unheard._

_"For what?" The phoenix replied, his eyes still perched onto the other._

_Grumbling countless words under his breath, the man sighed; flinging his hands over the wooden rail and closing his eyes. "I don't understand. I'm nobody to you! Why should you even care about a stranger like me?"_

_"You're whining." Was all the phoenix replied, causing the man to smirk slightly. Taking a place next to him, Marco let out a deep breath; watching as the air evaporated before him and turn into a misty fog. Hearing the cheery music bounce behind, the phoenix returned his stare towards the other.  
_

_"You know what I mean though."_

_Raising his eyebrow, Marco glanced to the other. "I have no idea what you're talking about Ace. Though it's something I would expect seeing as you just drunk a whole ship's worth of sake."_

_"Now, now! I can't get drunk remember!" Ace let out with a small hiccup, causing the blonde to let out a defeated sigh._

_"Oh, really? How's that?"_

_Straightening his posture, the fire-thrower grinned, flinging his finger in front of Marco's face. "Science!"_

_Marco stared at Ace blankly, un-sure of how to respond. Glancing at the man's face, Marco let out a bawling laugh; holding onto the edge of the ship tightly as the freckled man stared at him confusedly. "That would only apply if you had one drink Ace, not a-"_

_"But I wasn't kidding." Ace's voice went serious again, his lips frowning and his eyes narrowing. "About what I said before, I just don't understand."  
_

_"Of course you don't, you're an idiot." Marco swiftly replied, earning a surprised and widened look on his brother's face._

_"I didn't know you were capable of insulting someone."_

_Smirking, Marco looked up to the sky once more; a satisfied smile placed on his lips. "And I didn't know how blind you could be." Seeing no recognition of understanding on the fire-thrower's face, Marco let out a sigh."You're our brother Ace. Not a stranger, but our brother. You have to be stupid to think that we wouldn't care about you."_

_"-Mhm..'Kay."_

_Furrowing his eyebrows, Marco instantly spotted the glassy look in the freckled man's eyes; immediately catching him in his arms and letting out yet another sigh. "Damn it..." Giving out one last peaceful smile, the phoenix peered_ _down to his sleeping brother, before running away from drunk-Haruta and Thatch who also wanted to be a part of the 'group hug'. **/**_

"-I'll be the one to win the Mera Mera no Mi fruit you bastards, come and try me!"

It hurt. It hurt more than Marco would have ever expected it to feel. Seeing those memories once more. Though he was going to try to move on.

_-That is_ , right after he wins back Ace's Fruit.

* * *

"He's here, you know. Just like you said he would be."

The figure smirked proudly, whipping his hands up into the air. "Well of course he is. Were you expecting anything less from me?"

Hearing a complied 'tut, tut, tut' from the transponder snail, the figure's smirk faltered. "It has worked all too well though. The Captain of the New-Whitebeard Pirates is here as well now."

"And? Don't tell me the Marine's are getting  _scared_ now, are they?" The figure asked questionably, flicking his hand at a nearby servant.

The transponder snail instantly twitched, it's eyes narrowing into a glare. "Don't speak to me in such a manner Pirate, you might be one of the Warlords, but that doesn't mean you are any higher than the scum we're hunting down today."

Laughing, the figure whipped his feet around to a nearby chair; resting them swiftly. "Oh really? I wouldn't be saying that to someone who currently has both Straw-hat Luffy and the Phoenix in their hands now; should you?"

Once again, the transponder snail twitched, it's eyes widening before a forced sigh echoed through the speaker. "And that is the problem. Are you sure that the Whitebeard Captain won't interfere with our plan?"

"That's something I already have dealt with. The Phoenix is too concerned right now with winning Portgas' Devil Fruit. As soon as he gets that, I'll assure you he'll be out of the way."

The snail gave a nod, before it's head tilted slightly. "And that raises a question. Should we really give away a prized fruit like that to someone like him? I doubt the officials at Headquarters will be pleased to find out that you let the Whitebeard Captain have the fruit."

"Hm." The figure simply chuffed, looking towards his nails with dis-interest. "But that won't be happening."

"What?" A startled voice echoed from the snail, it's actions timid. "You don't expect us to take down him  _as well_?"

Letting out a growl, the figure picked up the transponder snail, a frown perched on his lips. "Do you  _not_ listen to me? I'm telling you, the fruit that is being given away today is simply a model; a fake of the actual Mera Mera no Mi Fruit." Licking his lips, the figure placed the transponder snail back down, lifting his knees up and spreading his legs out. "Despite how much we looked, I couldn't find the real damn fruit. Looks like someone might have snatched it already."

A deep sigh sounded out of the speaker, before a nod came from the snail. "I see, that might work."

"Oh, it will." Shrieking out a bellowing laugh, the figure eagerly watched the screen placed a few meters away from him; his smirk deepening.

"My fleet is already making it's way over, and remember Dolflamingo. If anything goes wrong here; you'll be stripped of your title like you were supposed to, and will be hunted down despite your history with us."

Grabbing a hold of the speaker edgily, Dolflamingo smirked. "I'll be waiting."

Dropping the speaker out of his hand, the feathered man leaned back onto his throne; his eyes gradually making it's way from the knocked out Trafalgar Law over to the moving screen, his eyes narrowing. Brushing his hand over the wooden box seated on his lap, the blonde smirked.

"Let the real game begin."

* * *

"How did you find out about this, Koala?"

Skipping onto the next stone in the street, the said person halted; turning around and forming a pout on her lips. "Find out about what?"

Sending her a serious look, Sabo frowned, his companions words still repeating in his mind. "About the Marines coming. It must have something to do with the Shichibukai who owns this place re-announcing his title, right?"

"Hmm." Koala mumbled, pouting out her bottom lip more. Winking at the blonde, she stuck her tongue out, before continuing to jump to each stone in the cobbled street. "You know Sabo," She started, wobbling on one foot. "...you can be  _real_ dumb when you want to be."

Twitching, Sabo looked sheepishly to the side; his eyebrows furrowing. "So I'm wrong?"

"Kinda. More like your just scratching the truth." Koala simply stated, hopping once more. "I got the information off one of Dolflamingo's 'evil-trenchmen'. Must have been a higher up 'cause he sure did know a lot. Strong too."

"Strong?" Sabo mimicked, his pupils widening slightly.

Tripping over, Koala collapsed onto the ground; before brushing herself off the floor and facing Sabo with a gruff. "Yep, strong." Flinging her head back to view the sky, the hatted-girl started taking steps backward; her arms swinging with the wind. "Took  _a_ long time for him to  _willingly_ tell me what he knew; kept going on about how he was going to kill me and such. I was able to get out of him that the competition at the colosseum was all a trick, something to lead Strawh-  _Your brother_  to them."

Halting, Koala once again looked to Sabo, a slight frown etching her lips. "But because I had to find my partner who was off flirting with a Pirate, I was unable to get all the specifics on when or where the Marines are going to show up. The rest I can easily presume due to the small minds the Marines put in charge of these tasks- but thanks to evil-henchman, we'll have the upper-hand."

Re-adjusting his gloves, the blonde narrowed his eyes; before shaking his head. "You know what, I was about to inquire on how you got him to tell you this much-  _but then I remembered._ I don't want to know."

Tapping her forehead, Koala sent Sabo and innocent smile; before turning her back and running down the street. "Nope!- You don't. Last time you asked that, you had nightmares for weeks."

Growling slightly under his breath, the blonde ran after the girl with a scowl; his face scrunched. "I was thirteen!-  _You_ cant tell a thirteen year old stuff like that before you go on a mission!"

"Once again Sabo," Koala muttered, halting at the edge of the dock. "...Excuses."

Catching up to where his partner stood, Sabo breathed out heavily; before turning to face his companion, expecting to see a childish smirk on her face. Instead however, he got a stern one; her eyes simply looking out to the water in front. Looking to where she seemed to be scanning; the air around Sabo grew thin, stepping back slightly. "They're here already?!" He yelled out, catching some worried glances from the fisher-men around.

"Yup. Looks like it." Koala whistled, looking towards a chiming town-clock placed on the building behind. "It looks like they're late though."

Whipping his head around to face Koala, Sabo blinked. "...Late?"

Dusting her hands off, Koala smirked; turning around on her heels and walking back down the main street that lay ahead of them. "If they wanted to skip the main fight, they should of arrived fourteen and a half minutes ago. Not that I'm complaining though, means' it's even  _more_ predictable than I had previously assumed."

Sighing, Sabo quickly joined the side of the girl; stretching out his arms with a yawn. "And do you mind sharing some more of these 'predictable situations' with me?"

Sending Sabo an all serious stare, Koala raised an eyebrow. "And what would be the fun in that?"

"Of course." The blonde muttered, his eyebrows furrowing together. Blinking, Sabo quickly lifted his head; peering down at Koala with curiosity. "About before, on the roof. What were you going to say before I interrupted you?"

"Exactly, did no-one teach you manners on how not to interrupt someone when you were a child?" Koala chuckled out, teasing the blonde with another smirk.

Thinking back to the manners  _he was_ taught, Sabo inwardly shivered, returning his gaze to Koala's. "Stop avoiding the question."

"Ah, but I didn't avoid it. My avoiding-ness obviously answers your question quite well."

"You know what. I never should have taught you that trick." Sabo replied, letting out a deep breath. "So you're not going to tell me?"

Feeling the air go thin once more, Koala suddenly went silent; her words softer than normal. "I'm not that cruel Sabo. I'm not telling you something  _like_ _that_  until I know for sure."

Raising his eyebrow, Sabo stared wide eyed at Koala, his steps faltering and stumbling back slightly. "You,  _you_ don't know something? Oh God, the world is ending."

Biting down on her lip, Koala continued to walk forward; her face shadowed. Hearing the sudden cheers echo from a building ahead, Koala's steps sped up, leaving behind Sabo to run up to her.

"Hey Sabo..." Koala muttered, reaching their destination. Hearing the out-of-breath blonde bawl out all his oxygen beside her, Koala continued on; her face tinted slightly with worry. "You know how you said you were asking for help from the Whitebeard Pirate?"

Holding his palms onto his knee's, the blonde shook his top-hat off; before raising his head. "What about it?"

"You heard me before didn't you?" She started, picking up his top-hat off the floor. "About the tournament being a trap."

Narrowing his eyes before placing his hand on the hat, Sabo looked up towards the colosseum before them. "Yes, I do. But what has that got to do with Haru-" His pupils instantly shrank, a more hurried tone approaching his posture as he stared at the building with hesitation. "Damn it!- If she goes in there, then..."

"As I thought. You asked her to assist us, didn't you?"

Sheepishly looking to the side once more, the blonde inwardly gulped; his feet lifting up and pacing themselves towards the entrance. "..."

"Great! Looks like we've got to get her out as well." Koala mumbled, throwing her hands up into the air with a huff. "But are you sure you want to go through with this?- The likeliness that we're going to get killed is  _way_ too close to the hundred number for just a hunch."

Looking over his shoulder, Sabo edgily placed the hat on his head; his eyes distant. "Yes, I'm sure. Are you with me?"

Grinning, Koala let out a small laugh, before skipping over to where her partner stood. " _Of course._ "


	19. Chapter 19

Ace twitched slightly, sounds gradually making their way to his ears; followed by the sound someone calling.

" _Get up you idiotic-_ " The tone faltered, replaced by a hand suddenly gripping the fire-thrower's cloak and shaking him desperately. " _D-damn it! Just wake up!_ "

"I'm awake." Ace barely uttered out, causing for the figure beside him to jolt from it's spot.

Instantly placing it's hands on the freckled man's shoulders, the Voice looked at him directly in the eyes; it biting down on it's lip hesitantly. " _What,_ " It started, causing for Ace to blink. " _...the hell was that?!_ "

Staring curiously at the figure, Ace continued to blink; his features slightly blank. "That?" He re-asked, before holding his hand up to his forehead. "Damn it, it's the first time that  _that's_ happened in a while, that's for sure."

Tensing, the figure gradually lifted it's hands from the ex-Commander's shoulder, it's eyebrows raising. "... _That?_ "

"You don't know?" Ace asked, stumbling up from where he had fell.

" _Am I supposed to know 'what'?_ " Gritting it's teeth, the Voice crossed it's arms over it's chest; facing away from the fire-thrower. " _That you randomly collapse sometimes? Of course I don't!_ "

Brushing off the dirt that was now smothering his cloak, Ace frowned; before smirking towards the Voice. "Well, that makes you a pretty shit for a Guardian Angel. How are you supposed to  _protect me_ if you don't know something as important as that." Sarcasm ringing his tone, Ace slowly looked around the hall; his pupils landing on the recently shattered wall.

Snorting, the Voice raised it's eyebrows once more; though humor uttered it's eyes. " _A Guardian Angel? You have to be kidding me._ "

"Well, what else could you be?" Letting his smirk stick to his lips, Ace stepped closer towards the Voice; bending down to it's height.

Instantly narrowing it's eyes, the Voice looked away; not saying a word.

Sighing in defeat, Ace threw up his hands; letting out a deep breath. "Fine  _Brat_ , be mysterious and annoyingly stubborn. But I will find out." Leaning back up, the fire-thrower re-looked around the hall, his pupils narrowing.

"Well, what now?"

Letting it's arms fall from it's chest, the Voice mumbled; before it's eyes lighted up. " _Hey, do you still have that piece of paper that the irritable woman gave to you?_ "

Blinking, Ace tilted his head slightly. "The irritable woman? You mean Haur-" His words suddenly halting, the fire-thrower instantly reached into his pocket; a grin spreading across his face.

Recognizing the grin on his face, the Voice slowly took a step towards him; it's arms spreading out. " _Wait a second, don't you want to maybe- I don't know. Think about what that warning or message on that piece of paper means first?_ "

Replying with a dangerous smirk, Ace looked towards the end of the 'hall', fisting his hand into the air as he started to walk forward. "I didn't think you'd be one to be scared. Seeing as you pushed me off a colessuem and al-"

Interrupting his words, the Voice sighed; following after the fire-thrower with a frown and childish words. " _Me scared?_ _I'm about as scared as you are; actually even less._ "

Glancing down at the piece of paper, Ace focused his attention onto the place marked; before placing the paper back in the pocket. "We shouldn't be hanging around here then. After all, Vista said that Marco was around where this is marked, so..." His voice faltering at the edges, Ace bit the edge of his lip, before continuing his steps down the narrowed caved-in hall.

Nodding, the Voice caught up to where the fire-thrower was heading; throwing it's hands to the back of it's head with a sigh. " _Fine then. Let's go put a stop to this 'tournament'_." Earning a small smirk to it's self, the Voice ignored the slightly stunned look directed at him from the ex-Commander.

Chuckling under his breath, Ace nodded; before lighting his way down the shadowed hall ahead.

* * *

"S-Shouldn't you be stopping him or something?" Buggy stuttered, his shaking hand hesitantly pointing over to the bustling arena.

There, before all of them stood the disguised Straw-hat Captain, surrounded aimlessly by the fellow contestants which had easily been knocked out. The three of them sat there among the crowd of screaming spectators, all shocked at what they were seeing.

The swordsman quickly grunted, his glare aiming instantly over to where the clown sat; earning a small chuckle from Robin.

"Luffy knows what he's doing." Zoro finally responded, his arms crossed over and eye narrowed on the said Captain.

Robin nodded slightly, her own eyes glued to the teen's ridiculous outfit. "Zoro is right, Luffy wouldn't enter this tournament obliviously without," She sighed. "... _thinking_ it through first." She stated, though her tone was unsure. Hearing a small 'hmph' voice from the swordsman beside her, she stirred; her eyes glazing over slightly.

"But this is Luffy we're talking about!- Running into something he thought about is exactly the reason you should interfere." The clown exclaimed, causing a confused stare utter from Zoro's eye.

"And why would  _you_  care?" He bluntly asked, his eye once more narrowing.

Flailing slightly, the clown cleared his throat; standing up proudly in the midst of the crowds, before Robin pulled him back down. "I- AH. I have no idea what you're talking about! I couldn't care less if he died today." Letting out a bellowing laugh, Buggy instantly went quiet, being hit by the continued stares from the Strawhat pirates.

"You're a terrible liar,  _Sir Buggy_." Robin clearly pointed out, her voice taunting him with a small giggle. "We have already been through this before, it is wise not to lie. After all, Mr. Swordsman here especially despises liars, isn't that right?" Glancing her way over to the confused swordsman, a sudden realization hit her; the said swordsman letting out a small chuckle of his own.

"You can add clowns to that as well."

"So." Robin continued on, her smile widening as she noticed a gulp sound from the Shichibukai beside her. "If you would tell us why you are so interested in our Captain's safety, I'm sure Swordsman-san would overlook the matter."

Swallowing, Buggy glanced sheepishly to the side. "I-it's just." He started, before pointing determinedly towards Zoro. "I wouldn't normally share this information with  _lower-ranks_ , but I have considered to the possibility of teaming up with your Captain, despite the privilege I know he would receive."

Both blinking at the clown's statement in silence, Robin and Zoro tilted their heads; before the swordsman bluntly declared. "He's joking, right?"

Thinking along the same lines herself, Robin turned towards Zoro; her eyes widened. "I don't think he is."

Seeing the pirate's reactions, Buggy continued on; placing a hand on his own chest as he pointed his nose towards the sky. "I know!- You are unable to believe someone like  _me_ would consider-"

Robin quickly interrupted, her features hardened. "And what makes you think we would accept you, Buggy? We are aware that you and Captain-san have history, but I highly doubt that's a reason you would want to ally with us."

Glaring at the interruption, Buggy chewed the side of his mouth; a pout appearing on his lips. "Yes. You're right- But don't think I would tell such lower-ranks like yourselves why-!"

Cut off once more, Zoro abruptly stood up from the seat; his hand hovering over the array of swords by his side as the little patience he had ran out. "That's it! The bastard had it coming to him the whole time!"

Sighing, Robin instinctively went to calm the swordsman down, before an arrange of gasps and cheers erupted around them.

Returning her sights to the center of the arena, she instantly gasped; her pupils widened.

Hearing a similar stutter beside her which was easily recognizable as the clown, he finally formed words, his tone in disbelief. "I-it's him!"

"Him?" Zoro quickly asked, causing Robin to glance over to him. Seeing no recognition of the man standing beside their Captain in his eyes, she gave a small sigh.

"That there is the Captain of the New Whitebeard Pirates." She explained, before a confused stare was peered over to both her and the said Captain.

Re-taking his seat, the swordsman eyebrows raised; his eye slowly narrowing. "And what's he doing here-  _oh_." Twitching at the realization, Zoro grunted; before Robin spoke up once more.

"It looks like they're about to fight." She stated, causing both Buggy and Zoro to sound a disbelieving "Eh?!".

"Luffy." The swordsman muttered, his eyes studying his Captain's. Seeing the sudden joyful look placed on Luffy's face, Zoro gulped; leaning back as he placed his hand over his face. "You might not want to win this one."

Narrowing her eyebrows, Robin glanced over to the swordsman. "Hm?" She hummed, her head tilting slightly. "I wouldn't think  _you_ of all people swordsman-san would say something like that."

Shaking his head, Zoro mumbled under his breath, before letting out a deep sigh. "It's not that." He stated, leaning forward towards the people in front. "I believe Luffy can win this. But..." His voice faltered, his eyes suddenly over-looking Buggy. "Hey-  _Buggy._  You're certain that the man you brought to this island looked like Ace?"

Not expecting such a question, the clown nodded uncertainly; before clearing his throat. "Yes. I am sure of it."

"Then we better find him quick." Looking towards Robin with a hardened stare, Zoro stiffened; his eyes etching back to the now-laughing Captain.

Nodding, Robin intertwined her fingers; before stating clearly. "If you're certain that someone looking like Ace is here, then I suggest we do the same thing. Though..." Joining Zoro in her stare towards Luffy, she unknowingly narrowed her eyes.

"Let's just hope we find him before this is all over."

* * *

"You don't seem to be dealing with this too well." Koala stated bluntly, ignoring the sudden jolt from her partner as she flung a souvenir candy in her mouth.

Letting out a small breath, Sabo leaned back into the stone wall; his eyes glued on the small  _gladiator_ battling his way through the arena swarmed with contestants. His pupils glazed over, Sabo smiled weakly, before looking regrettably towards Koala. "I haven't seen him for twelve years..." The blonde finally uttered out, his tone hushed. "He's..." Drawing his breath in, he glanced back over to the  _gladiator_ ; his mouth slowly drooping.

"He's going to hate me. For what I did."

Swinging her legs back and forth, Koala mumbled; her finger placed on her chin. "Hmm. Nope _._  I personally think if he was to be mad at something you did, then it would be at something you  _didn't_ do."

Instantly glaring towards the 'innocent' looking girl, Sabo cursed; placing his chin in his palm as he continued to watch the  _gladiator_  fight. "As if I didn't know that already."

"Then just explain it to him." Koala continued on, throwing another ball-shaped candy into her mouth. "If he's as forgiving as you said he was, then he would understand the reason you couldn't be there." Tilting her head back so her eyes met Sabo's, Koala's eyebrows raised tirelessly. "That is _,_  saying that you want to be forgiven in the first place."

"He thinks I'm dead."

Yawning, Koala stretched out her arms; ignoring the sulking actions of the blonde. "Well, he's wrong."

Glaring once more at the bob-hatted woman, Sabo brought his head down to his knees'; refusing to look at the arena anymore. "I wasn't even there for when Ace," His words shaking slightly, Sabo shook his head; his eyes narrowed. "...I'm telling you Koala. He isn't going to want to see me. And if that happens-"

Flinging her hands in front of the blonde, Koala instantly shook her hand; a tut whispering from her lips. "Now, now Sabo. This was  _your_ idea. Don't go blaming the faults in your plan for something I am not guilty for."

Seeing no recognition of understanding in the blonde's pupils, Koala rolled her eyes; before harshly patting the back of his coat. "You'll be fine! You're old enough to go out there and face your demons." Winking, Koala smirked at her own words, before turning her attention back to the fight below.

Hearing the roar of victory swarm the seats in the colessuem, Koala's eyes perked up; letting a small chuckle pass her lips.

"No way..." Hearing a small whisper utter out next to her, Koala smirked; crossing her legs simultaneously as she chuckled once more.

" _That's_ your 'weak younger brother'?" She asked with a hint of amusement, her smirk only widening as she saw the blonde nod weakly. Before her, standing in the midst of the defeated arena lay the 'elder man', his fists clenched and his eyes over-shadowed. Brushing the dry dust from the candy off her palms, Koala continued on; her smirk deflating slightly. "I take it back. He doesn't look like the forgiving type." Directing an innocent smile to the blonde once again, Koala giggled; chucking another sweet into her mouth. "Well, good luck with that Sa-bo."

Groaning, Sabo once again held his head in his hand, before another cheer erupted the arena; grabbing the attention of the duo.

" _ **-** I-It's him_!"

" _They look like they're about to fight._ "

" _Damn it, this can only end bad._ "

Glancing towards the center of the arena, Koala raised her eyebrows; though was unsurprised by the fellow contestant who stood beside Luffy.

"You were right." Sabo mumbled quietly next to her, causing Koala to tut once more.

"Oh?" She questioned, her eyebrows raising. "You didn't believe me?" She asked with a tint of curiosity; the blonde only responding in a mild hum.

Intertwining his fingers together, Sabo narrowed his eyes at the Whitebeard Captain, before his sight returned to his brother. "No, I just didn't think Luffy would actually fight against him." His eyes glazing over once more, the blonde smiled; letting out a deep sigh. "But I guess that's just like him, doing something idiotic."

Letting out a hum of agreement, Koala nodded; before placing the bag of candies on the floor with a frown. "Let's just hope his idiocy doesn't cost him anything more than a few scratches. We have enough people we have to save already."

Catching her words, the blonde lifted his head up; his eyes narrowing slightly. "Enough? There's only Haruta who we have to comprehend." His memory returning, Sabo faced the bob-hatted girl straight on; his tone more commanding. "Koala. Is it about what you wouldn't tell me?" The previous light conversation gone, Sabo stared knowingly at the woman, piecing together her words. "Who else is here?"

Directing her stare towards her knees, Koala bit down edgily on her lip; her head tilting to the side. "I already told you Sabo. There's nothing to worry about. I have it under control."

His eyes widening slightly, Sabo blinked; before letting out a frustrated groan. "That doesn't make me feel any better, you know?"

Letting out a sigh, Koala regained her smile; before looking back towards the duo of fighters standing in the arena. "So, what now?"

"We'll watch him." Sabo replied instantly, his tone becoming slightly hitched once more. "Let him," He started, his voice hinted with regret. "...Let him fight."

Not expecting the blonde to resign to watching, Koala tilted her head to the side. "Oh?" She questioned, her eyes slowly darting back to the duo in the arena. Hearing only silence echo around the blonde, she sighed; giving a small nod. "Okay, but you better be right about this though Sabo. After all, this is your plan."

"I'm sure." Sabo whispered out, his eyes still glued onto the center of the arena. "Be sure to be ready to act Koala."

Smirking, Koala added another sweet to her mouth; before winking once more at the blonde. "Got it."

* * *

Stepping out onto the recently cleared arena, the Phoenix's eyes glazed over.

He didn't want to do this-  _not really_ _._

_But he had to._

Clenching his fingers, Marco let out a deep breath; focusing his sight onto the open arena ahead of him. Surrounding him lay collapsed guards, all stirring with mumbled words. The phoenix continued to walk forward, ignoring the confused stutters falling out of their mouths.

Feeling the warm breeze brush past him, he made his way into the light. Halting, the blonde stared, hearing a quake echo from below.

Furrowing his eyebrows, he quickly glanced towards a small, opened door leading into a darkened hallway.

Hearing the slight rumble of the floor once more, the blonde quickly opted to walk towards the door; before looking back at the lone victor waiting in the arena.

Catching his eye, the said victor blinked widely; his head tilting the side. Shoving away his curiosity, Marco stepped back, heading once more towards the straw-hatted captain as the crowds started to cheer widely.

" _Isn't that the winner of the previous section?"_

" _What is he doing here?!_ "

" _Shouldn't the guards keep him out?_ "

" _Maybe he..._ "

Blocking out the rest of their words, the phoenix locked eyes with the teen who was mirroring his exact stare. Seeing the slight shuffle in his steps, Marco raised an eyebrow as Luffy made his way over to him; a small smile placed on his lips.

"What are you-" He started, his voice hushed under to roar of the crowds.

As the teen neared him, he slowly began to lift up his arm; making Marco up his guard and prepare for the early attack. However, the teen continued to hold out his hand; his eyes not leaving the phoenix's.

"For Ace." He simply stated, causing for Marco's pupils to widen slightly. The teen gave him a weakened smile, but a smile nonetheless.

Glancing down to the still hovering hand, Marco's features softened; taking a hold of the hand with a mirrored smile. "It'll be interesting to fight you, Straw-hat."

"Hm?" The teen hummed, slowly letting go of the grasped hand as he tilted his head. "Oh." Luffy mumbled, his eyes glazing over as he continued to stare at the blonde.

Letting his hand fall to his side, the phoenix once again questioned what the other was thinking, before a sigh escaped the teen's lips. "What?" He seemed to ask casually, despite the tension shared a few moments ago.

"I don't want to fight you." Luffy bluntly stated out-of-the-blue, causing for the blonde to raise his eyebrow once more.

"Oh? You say that like I was the one that proposed this fight." Marco stated with a tint of amusement, watching as the teen's face scrunched up.

Crossing his arms over one-another, Luffy grumbled; his eyes darting to the side. "But you said you were going to take the fruit. So it's obvious that we'd have to fight."

It was true, Marco couldn't allow for the teen to take the fruit without himself disposing of it first-

 _But_ it seemed that the kid thought the same thing as well, to Marco's dis-advantage.

"Then I guess there's no other choice." Marco exclaimed with a sigh, placing both his hands inside his pockets.

"Mm." Luffy nodded with agreement, his features still hardened. "I'm going to be the one that takes Ace's fruit, even if I have to fight you."

Ignoring the sudden shouts of the wakened guards, Marco nodded; lifting his palm up towards the straw-hatted boy. Instinctively taking a step back, the teen jumped back; allowing for the armour he previously had on to fall onto the ground.

" _Isn't that Straw Hat Luffy?_ "

" _I-It can't be.._ "

Letting flames slowly flicker across his arm, Marco picked up his steps; preparing for the battle ahead.

Gritting his teeth, the phoenix mumbled under his breath; before aiming his heel towards the shoulder of the teen.

"Forgive me, Ace."

Ace twitched slightly, sounds gradually making their way to his ears; followed by the sound someone calling.

" _Get up you idiotic-_ " The tone faltered, replaced by a hand suddenly gripping the fire-thrower's cloak and shaking him desperately. " _D-damn it! Just wake up!_ "

"I'm awake." Ace barely uttered out, causing for the figure beside him to jolt from it's spot.

Instantly placing it's hands on the freckled man's shoulders, the Voice looked at him directly in the eyes; it biting down on it's lip hesitantly. " _What,_ " It started, causing for Ace to blink. " _...the hell was that?!_ "

Staring curiously at the figure, Ace continued to blink; his features slightly blank. "That?" He re-asked, before holding his hand up to his forehead. "Damn it, it's the first time that  _that's_ happened in a while, that's for sure."

Tensing, the figure gradually lifted it's hands from the ex-Commander's shoulder, it's eyebrows raising. "... _That?_ "

"You don't know?" Ace asked, stumbling up from where he had fell.

" _Am I supposed to know 'what'?_ " Gritting it's teeth, the Voice crossed it's arms over it's chest; facing away from the fire-thrower. " _That you randomly collapse sometimes? Of course I don't!_ "

Brushing off the dirt that was now smothering his cloak, Ace frowned; before smirking towards the Voice. "Well, that makes you a pretty shit for a Guardian Angel. How are you supposed to  _protect me_ if you don't know something as important as that." Sarcasm ringing his tone, Ace slowly looked around the hall; his pupils landing on the recently shattered wall.

Snorting, the Voice raised it's eyebrows once more; though humor uttered it's eyes. " _A Guardian Angel? You have to be kidding me._ "

"Well, what else could you be?" Letting his smirk stick to his lips, Ace stepped closer towards the Voice; bending down to it's height.

Instantly narrowing it's eyes, the Voice looked away; not saying a word.

Sighing in defeat, Ace threw up his hands; letting out a deep breath. "Fine  _Brat_ , be mysterious and annoyingly stubborn. But I will find out." Leaning back up, the fire-thrower re-looked around the hall, his pupils narrowing.

"Well, what now?"

Letting it's arms fall from it's chest, the Voice mumbled; before it's eyes lighted up. " _Hey, do you still have that piece of paper that the irritable woman gave to you?_ "

Blinking, Ace tilted his head slightly. "The irritable woman? You mean Haur-" His words suddenly halting, the fire-thrower instantly reached into his pocket; a grin spreading across his face.

Recognizing the grin on his face, the Voice slowly took a step towards him; it's arms spreading out. " _Wait a second, don't you want to maybe- I don't know. Think about what that warning or message on that piece of paper means first?_ "

Replying with a dangerous smirk, Ace looked towards the end of the 'hall', fisting his hand into the air as he started to walk forward. "I didn't think you'd be one to be scared. Seeing as you pushed me off a colessuem and al-"

Interrupting his words, the Voice sighed; following after the fire-thrower with a frown and childish words. " _Me scared?_ _I'm about as scared as you are; actually even less._ "

Glancing down at the piece of paper, Ace focused his attention onto the place marked; before placing the paper back in the pocket. "We shouldn't be hanging around here then. After all, Vista said that Marco was around where this is marked, so..." His voice faltering at the edges, Ace bit the edge of his lip, before continuing his steps down the narrowed caved-in hall.

Nodding, the Voice caught up to where the fire-thrower was heading; throwing it's hands to the back of it's head with a sigh. " _Fine then. Let's go put a stop to this 'tournament'_." Earning a small smirk to it's self, the Voice ignored the slightly stunned look directed at him from the ex-Commander.

Chuckling under his breath, Ace nodded; before lighting his way down the shadowed hall ahead.

* * *

"S-Shouldn't you be stopping him or something?" Buggy stuttered, his shaking hand hesitantly pointing over to the bustling arena.

There, before all of them stood the disguised Straw-hat Captain, surrounded aimlessly by the fellow contestants which had easily been knocked out. The three of them sat there among the crowd of screaming spectators, all shocked at what they were seeing.

The swordsman quickly grunted, his glare aiming instantly over to where the clown sat; earning a small chuckle from Robin.

"Luffy knows what he's doing." Zoro finally responded, his arms crossed over and eye narrowed on the said Captain.

Robin nodded slightly, her own eyes glued to the teen's ridiculous outfit. "Zoro is right, Luffy wouldn't enter this tournament obliviously without," She sighed. "... _thinking_ it through first." She stated, though her tone was unsure. Hearing a small 'hmph' voice from the swordsman beside her, she stirred; her eyes glazing over slightly.

"But this is Luffy we're talking about!- Running into something he thought about is exactly the reason you should interfere." The clown exclaimed, causing a confused stare utter from Zoro's eye.

"And why would  _you_  care?" He bluntly asked, his eye once more narrowing.

Flailing slightly, the clown cleared his throat; standing up proudly in the midst of the crowds, before Robin pulled him back down. "I- AH. I have no idea what you're talking about! I couldn't care less if he died today." Letting out a bellowing laugh, Buggy instantly went quiet, being hit by the continued stares from the Strawhat pirates.

"You're a terrible liar,  _Sir Buggy_." Robin clearly pointed out, her voice taunting him with a small giggle. "We have already been through this before, it is wise not to lie. After all, Mr. Swordsman here especially despises liars, isn't that right?" Glancing her way over to the confused swordsman, a sudden realization hit her; the said swordsman letting out a small chuckle of his own.

"You can add clowns to that as well."

"So." Robin continued on, her smile widening as she noticed a gulp sound from the Shichibukai beside her. "If you would tell us why you are so interested in our Captain's safety, I'm sure Swordsman-san would overlook the matter."

Swallowing, Buggy glanced sheepishly to the side. "I-it's just." He started, before pointing determinedly towards Zoro. "I wouldn't normally share this information with  _lower-ranks_ , but I have considered to the possibility of teaming up with your Captain, despite the privilege I know he would receive."

Both blinking at the clown's statement in silence, Robin and Zoro tilted their heads; before the swordsman bluntly declared. "He's joking, right?"

Thinking along the same lines herself, Robin turned towards Zoro; her eyes widened. "I don't think he is."

Seeing the pirate's reactions, Buggy continued on; placing a hand on his own chest as he pointed his nose towards the sky. "I know!- You are unable to believe someone like  _me_ would consider-"

Robin quickly interrupted, her features hardened. "And what makes you think we would accept you, Buggy? We are aware that you and Captain-san have history, but I highly doubt that's a reason you would want to ally with us."

Glaring at the interruption, Buggy chewed the side of his mouth; a pout appearing on his lips. "Yes. You're right- But don't think I would tell such lower-ranks like yourselves why-!"

Cut off once more, Zoro abruptly stood up from the seat; his hand hovering over the array of swords by his side as the little patience he had ran out. "That's it! The bastard had it coming to him the whole time!"

Sighing, Robin instinctively went to calm the swordsman down, before an arrange of gasps and cheers erupted around them.

Returning her sights to the center of the arena, she instantly gasped; her pupils widened.

Hearing a similar stutter beside her which was easily recognizable as the clown, he finally formed words, his tone in disbelief. "I-it's him!"

"Him?" Zoro quickly asked, causing Robin to glance over to him. Seeing no recognition of the man standing beside their Captain in his eyes, she gave a small sigh.

"That there is the Captain of the New Whitebeard Pirates." She explained, before a confused stare was peered over to both her and the said Captain.

Re-taking his seat, the swordsman eyebrows raised; his eye slowly narrowing. "And what's he doing here-  _oh_." Twitching at the realization, Zoro grunted; before Robin spoke up once more.

"It looks like they're about to fight." She stated, causing both Buggy and Zoro to sound a disbelieving "Eh?!".

"Luffy." The swordsman muttered, his eyes studying his Captain's. Seeing the sudden joyful look placed on Luffy's face, Zoro gulped; leaning back as he placed his hand over his face. "You might not want to win this one."

Narrowing her eyebrows, Robin glanced over to the swordsman. "Hm?" She hummed, her head tilting slightly. "I wouldn't think  _you_ of all people swordsman-san would say something like that."

Shaking his head, Zoro mumbled under his breath, before letting out a deep sigh. "It's not that." He stated, leaning forward towards the people in front. "I believe Luffy can win this. But..." His voice faltered, his eyes suddenly over-looking Buggy. "Hey-  _Buggy._  You're certain that the man you brought to this island looked like Ace?"

Not expecting such a question, the clown nodded uncertainly; before clearing his throat. "Yes. I am sure of it."

"Then we better find him quick." Looking towards Robin with a hardened stare, Zoro stiffened; his eyes etching back to the now-laughing Captain.

Nodding, Robin intertwined her fingers; before stating clearly. "If you're certain that someone looking like Ace is here, then I suggest we do the same thing. Though..." Joining Zoro in her stare towards Luffy, she unknowingly narrowed her eyes.

"Let's just hope we find him before this is all over."

* * *

"You don't seem to be dealing with this too well." Koala stated bluntly, ignoring the sudden jolt from her partner as she flung a souvenir candy in her mouth.

Letting out a small breath, Sabo leaned back into the stone wall; his eyes glued on the small  _gladiator_ battling his way through the arena swarmed with contestants. His pupils glazed over, Sabo smiled weakly, before looking regrettably towards Koala. "I haven't seen him for twelve years..." The blonde finally uttered out, his tone hushed. "He's..." Drawing his breath in, he glanced back over to the  _gladiator_ ; his mouth slowly drooping.

"He's going to hate me. For what I did."

Swinging her legs back and forth, Koala mumbled; her finger placed on her chin. "Hmm. Nope _._  I personally think if he was to be mad at something you did, then it would be at something you  _didn't_ do."

Instantly glaring towards the 'innocent' looking girl, Sabo cursed; placing his chin in his palm as he continued to watch the  _gladiator_  fight. "As if I didn't know that already."

"Then just explain it to him." Koala continued on, throwing another ball-shaped candy into her mouth. "If he's as forgiving as you said he was, then he would understand the reason you couldn't be there." Tilting her head back so her eyes met Sabo's, Koala's eyebrows raised tirelessly. "That is _,_  saying that you want to be forgiven in the first place."

"He thinks I'm dead."

Yawning, Koala stretched out her arms; ignoring the sulking actions of the blonde. "Well, he's wrong."

Glaring once more at the bob-hatted woman, Sabo brought his head down to his knees'; refusing to look at the arena anymore. "I wasn't even there for when Ace," His words shaking slightly, Sabo shook his head; his eyes narrowed. "...I'm telling you Koala. He isn't going to want to see me. And if that happens-"

Flinging her hands in front of the blonde, Koala instantly shook her hand; a tut whispering from her lips. "Now, now Sabo. This was  _your_ idea. Don't go blaming the faults in your plan for something I am not guilty for."

Seeing no recognition of understanding in the blonde's pupils, Koala rolled her eyes; before harshly patting the back of his coat. "You'll be fine! You're old enough to go out there and face your demons." Winking, Koala smirked at her own words, before turning her attention back to the fight below.

Hearing the roar of victory swarm the seats in the colessuem, Koala's eyes perked up; letting a small chuckle pass her lips.

"No way..." Hearing a small whisper utter out next to her, Koala smirked; crossing her legs simultaneously as she chuckled once more.

" _That's_ your 'weak younger brother'?" She asked with a hint of amusement, her smirk only widening as she saw the blonde nod weakly. Before her, standing in the midst of the defeated arena lay the 'elder man', his fists clenched and his eyes over-shadowed. Brushing the dry dust from the candy off her palms, Koala continued on; her smirk deflating slightly. "I take it back. He doesn't look like the forgiving type." Directing an innocent smile to the blonde once again, Koala giggled; chucking another sweet into her mouth. "Well, good luck with that Sa-bo."

Groaning, Sabo once again held his head in his hand, before another cheer erupted the arena; grabbing the attention of the duo.

" _ **-** I-It's him_!"

" _They look like they're about to fight._ "

" _Damn it, this can only end bad._ "

Glancing towards the center of the arena, Koala raised her eyebrows; though was unsurprised by the fellow contestant who stood beside Luffy.

"You were right." Sabo mumbled quietly next to her, causing Koala to tut once more.

"Oh?" She questioned, her eyebrows raising. "You didn't believe me?" She asked with a tint of curiosity; the blonde only responding in a mild hum.

Intertwining his fingers together, Sabo narrowed his eyes at the Whitebeard Captain, before his sight returned to his brother. "No, I just didn't think Luffy would actually fight against him." His eyes glazing over once more, the blonde smiled; letting out a deep sigh. "But I guess that's just like him, doing something idiotic."

Letting out a hum of agreement, Koala nodded; before placing the bag of candies on the floor with a frown. "Let's just hope his idiocy doesn't cost him anything more than a few scratches. We have enough people we have to save already."

Catching her words, the blonde lifted his head up; his eyes narrowing slightly. "Enough? There's only Haruta who we have to comprehend." His memory returning, Sabo faced the bob-hatted girl straight on; his tone more commanding. "Koala. Is it about what you wouldn't tell me?" The previous light conversation gone, Sabo stared knowingly at the woman, piecing together her words. "Who else is here?"

Directing her stare towards her knees, Koala bit down edgily on her lip; her head tilting to the side. "I already told you Sabo. There's nothing to worry about. I have it under control."

His eyes widening slightly, Sabo blinked; before letting out a frustrated groan. "That doesn't make me feel any better, you know?"

Letting out a sigh, Koala regained her smile; before looking back towards the duo of fighters standing in the arena. "So, what now?"

"We'll watch him." Sabo replied instantly, his tone becoming slightly hitched once more. "Let him," He started, his voice hinted with regret. "...Let him fight."

Not expecting the blonde to resign to watching, Koala tilted her head to the side. "Oh?" She questioned, her eyes slowly darting back to the duo in the arena. Hearing only silence echo around the blonde, she sighed; giving a small nod. "Okay, but you better be right about this though Sabo. After all, this is your plan."

"I'm sure." Sabo whispered out, his eyes still glued onto the center of the arena. "Be sure to be ready to act Koala."

Smirking, Koala added another sweet to her mouth; before winking once more at the blonde. "Got it."

* * *

Stepping out onto the recently cleared arena, the Phoenix's eyes glazed over.

He didn't want to do this-  _not really_ _._

_But he had to._

Clenching his fingers, Marco let out a deep breath; focusing his sight onto the open arena ahead of him. Surrounding him lay collapsed guards, all stirring with mumbled words. The phoenix continued to walk forward, ignoring the confused stutters falling out of their mouths.

Feeling the warm breeze brush past him, he made his way into the light. Halting, the blonde stared, hearing a quake echo from below.

Furrowing his eyebrows, he quickly glanced towards a small, opened door leading into a darkened hallway.

Hearing the slight rumble of the floor once more, the blonde quickly opted to walk towards the door; before looking back at the lone victor waiting in the arena.

Catching his eye, the said victor blinked widely; his head tilting the side. Shoving away his curiosity, Marco stepped back, heading once more towards the straw-hatted captain as the crowds started to cheer widely.

" _Isn't that the winner of the previous section?"_

" _What is he doing here?!_ "

" _Shouldn't the guards keep him out?_ "

" _Maybe he..._ "

Blocking out the rest of their words, the phoenix locked eyes with the teen who was mirroring his exact stare. Seeing the slight shuffle in his steps, Marco raised an eyebrow as Luffy made his way over to him; a small smile placed on his lips.

"What are you-" He started, his voice hushed under to roar of the crowds.

As the teen neared him, he slowly began to lift up his arm; making Marco up his guard and prepare for the early attack. However, the teen continued to hold out his hand; his eyes not leaving the phoenix's.

"For Ace." He simply stated, causing for Marco's pupils to widen slightly. The teen gave him a weakened smile, but a smile nonetheless.

Glancing down to the still hovering hand, Marco's features softened; taking a hold of the hand with a mirrored smile. "It'll be interesting to fight you, Straw-hat."

"Hm?" The teen hummed, slowly letting go of the grasped hand as he tilted his head. "Oh." Luffy mumbled, his eyes glazing over as he continued to stare at the blonde.

Letting his hand fall to his side, the phoenix once again questioned what the other was thinking, before a sigh escaped the teen's lips. "What?" He seemed to ask casually, despite the tension shared a few moments ago.

"I don't want to fight you." Luffy bluntly stated out-of-the-blue, causing for the blonde to raise his eyebrow once more.

"Oh? You say that like I was the one that proposed this fight." Marco stated with a tint of amusement, watching as the teen's face scrunched up.

Crossing his arms over one-another, Luffy grumbled; his eyes darting to the side. "But you said you were going to take the fruit. So it's obvious that we'd have to fight."

It was true, Marco couldn't allow for the teen to take the fruit without himself disposing of it first-

 _But_ it seemed that the kid thought the same thing as well, to Marco's dis-advantage.

"Then I guess there's no other choice." Marco exclaimed with a sigh, placing both his hands inside his pockets.

"Mm." Luffy nodded with agreement, his features still hardened. "I'm going to be the one that takes Ace's fruit, even if I have to fight you."

Ignoring the sudden shouts of the wakened guards, Marco nodded; lifting his palm up towards the straw-hatted boy. Instinctively taking a step back, the teen jumped back; allowing for the armour he previously had on to fall onto the ground.

" _Isn't that Straw Hat Luffy?_ "

" _I-It can't be.._ "

Letting flames slowly flicker across his arm, Marco picked up his steps; preparing for the battle ahead.

Gritting his teeth, the phoenix mumbled under his breath; before aiming his heel towards the shoulder of the teen.

"Forgive me, Ace."


	20. Chapter 20

Ace was never one to admit his many he'd had troubles throughout his life-  _there would have been to many to count from_.

There had been times when his mouth had caused him to be chased out of a town, banned from the certain bar for life. Other times had been a lot more amusing, as the freckled-man learned to  _never_ ,  _ever_ mess with his brother's belongings on board- a result that always ended up with him being thrown in the sea.

Then there had been the more severe times, ones that never left the fire-thrower's mind.

He had to admit, yet again-  _he_  was lost.

Completely and utterly  _lost._  He was currently stuck underneath the tunnels of Dressrosa with a small piece of paper to direct him to a place he doesn't know where; along with an imaginary figure which loved to complain at him.

" _Do we even know where we're going?_ "

Growling under his breath, the ex-Commander sighed; bringing his palm towards his forehead with a grin. "I have an idea."

" _You have no clue, do you._ "

Twitching, Ace glared momentarily towards the Voice, before smiling silently to himself.

Catching this, the Voice jolted back slightly, sending him a small glare of its own. " _What_?"

His smile fading, the fire-thrower shook his head with a small chuckle; continuing his sight onto the road ahead. "It's nothing."

Kicking the countless stones ahead of it to the side with a slight mumble, the Voice 'hmph-ed'; its eyes scanning Ace's features before turning away. Crossing it's arms over one-another, it finally started to take in its surrounding; a small crease forming on its forehead. " _Oi, haven't we just passed this place_?" Folding it's arm out to point towards the shattered rock-fall in front of them, the Voice frowned, followed by a small gulp by the fire-thrower.

"Shit, we couldn't have just been-?"

" _Going 'round in a circle. Yeah._ " Turning towards Ace with a snarl, the Voice's eyebrows furrowed; before glancing at the small paper in the freckled man's hand. " _Here, give that to me. I'll do it._ "

Not expecting the Voice to say such a thing, Ace stepped back; his head tilting slightly to the side. "You want to take lead?" The ex-Commander said with amusement, before letting out a laugh. "Yeah kid. Not happening."

Twitching once more, the Voice scowled; clenching it's fists together at the side. " _It's better than just letting you take us on a tour to nowhere!_ "

"Tell you what." The fire-thrower stated, his eyes narrowing. "You tell me who you are, and I'll happily give you this." Gesturing to the piece of paper, Ace smirked; enjoying the slow defeat showing on the Voice's features, before his hands began to feel light. "Wha-?"

Walking up to the freckled-man with an irritated face, the Voice snatched the paper from the fire-thrower easily; causing him to stumble back and stare at the Voice with confusion.

"How the fuck did you d-"

Ignoring the questions plummeting from the ex-Commander's mouth, the Voice smirked itself; it's eyes scanning over the paper. Forming a frown on its lips, it briefly glanced towards Ace before walking forward. " _Let's go then._ "

Still in slight shock, Ace's eyes followed the Voice's figure; before running towards it. "How the hell did you do that?" He finally asked, his eyes glued to the small hands clutching the piece of paper.

" _You mean take it off you?_ " The Voice asked dully, not even bothering to look up towards the fire-thrower. " _It was easy. All I had to do was reach up and grab it. Are you blind or something?_ "

"But you can't do that." Ace started, his eyebrows furrowed and confused. "You're not real." He stated like it was obvious, causing for the Voice to twitch on the spot.

Silently continuing on with the passage, the Voice mumbled something, unbeknown to the fire-thrower; causing Ace to lower his suspicions. "What is it?"

" _It's nothing._ "

Letting out a sigh, Ace slowed his steps, keeping in time with the Voice. "Well it's obvious that there's something wrong."

" _Oh yeah, like you're really concerned._ _"_

Grinning, the fire-thrower chuckled slightly; before tuning out his words with amusement. Placing his finger up into the air, he ignored the slight confusion on the Voice's face; continuing on."One-  _You're a Voice in my head_." Placing his second finger in the air, Ace's grin faltered; turning into a more pissed off feature on his lips. "And two, it looks like you're not going anywhere- so I'm stuck with you either way. The last thing I want is an irritated brat on my shoulder after all."

" _That's not my name, Pirate._ "

Ignoring the remark, Ace sighed; placing his palm over his head. "Oh? Then what is? Because I would have no problem in you correcting me."

Biting down on its lip, the Voice stubbornly faced forward, it's eyebrows furrowed and cheeks puffed out childishly. " _..._ " Narrowing its eyes hazily, the Voice's steps slowly stopped, coming to a halt with a small mumble. " _It's probably nothing anyway. It's just- I heard who Haruta was meeting._ "

Looking behind him with confusion, Ace raised his eyebrows; slight curiosity flowing through his eyes. "And? What? It's someone you know?"

" _..."_  Biting harshly down on its lip more, the Voice slowly opened to say something, before closing its mouth once more. " _Something like that._ " It replied with all emotion drained from its voice. Walking past the fire-thrower hastily, the Voice continued to stay quiet; Ace simply following behind.

After a while, the duo finally came to another halt; Ace twitching on the spot. "Oi."

" _Don't._ " Was the instant response from the Voice, it's eyes looking everywhere.

Peering his eyes down to the ground, Ace gritted his teeth, pointing to the pile of rocks before them with irritation; his eyes narrowed. "You got us  _just as lost_ as I did!"

" _You were distracting me!_ "

"Oh? And how the hell did I do that?!"

" _...Shut up Pirate._ "

Twitching, Ace hit his head against the wall with a groan, his face scrunched up by the sudden pain. Choosing to ignore it for now, Ace let out a sigh; before eying the wall with a blank look.

_...Light?_

Placing his palm fully onto the wall ahead, Ace grew a small smirk; slowly knocking on the sodden wall with eager eyes. "There's light behind here."

It's eyebrows raising, the Voice edged closer to the pirate with a small huff. " _See. I told you I knew where we were going._ "

Blankly looking at the Voice for a split of a second, the fire-thrower chuckled; bringing his hand back in the shape of the fist. "Stand back."

Before the Voice had time to argue that maybe punching down  _yet another_ wall might not help their situation or the fact that it might knock down the surroundings above them, the ex-Commander had flown his fist directly into the center of the wall; easily smashing it into pieces.

Letting a proud smirk to utter its way onto his lips, Ace placed both his hands on his hips; causing the Voice to twitch at the sight.

" _I give up. You're either suicidal or just insane._ "

Tilting his head, Ace looked questionably at the Brat, before quickly shrugging it off. Wincing his eyes at the light of the room ahead, Ace fumbled forward, crunching the small rocks under his feet with ease.

The room ahead was bright,  _way brighter_ than the hallway-? they had just been in. It's decor was completely a world away as well, for the brick walls seemed to be tinted in a golden color; unlike the dull, dirty tunnels they had just escaped from. The light was quickly sourced from a giant metal goblet placed on the wall, lighting the room with a similar golden color to the walls.

It was...  _unexpected_  to the two figures who had just been wandering through sewer-like tunnels', but definitely brought their attention to where they were.

"Um..." Ace started, his eyes darting everywhere. "Where are we?" He questioned, his voice lighter than before.

" _That's,_ " Stepping forward to where the fire-thrower was standing, the Voice blinked; it's eyes widened with the sight of everything. Stumbling forward to touch the golden walls, the Voice looked astounded; before turning back to face the ex-Commander. " _...what I was thinking._ "

Continuing to scan to room for any sign on the person Haruta was supposed to meet, Ace let out a small sigh; leaning against the wall with a huff.

" _So what do we do now?_ " The Voice questioned with curiosity, causing Ace to mumble out tiredly.

"We wait."

* * *

No-one spoke a word-  _all was completely silent_.

Luffy didn't know how to react to this. He knew that from what Franky had told him it would be best not to reveal himself, but Pineapple Head had already shown himself, so he saw no point in staying in the large metal outfit he had on.

Glancing over to the said Pineapple who was standing opposite him, Luffy furrowed his eyebrows, unable to tell why he was staring at him in amusement. Did he look funny? Maybe he was missing the cool armour he was wearing. Frowning, the teen looked down with a pout at the metal laying on the floor.

Shrugging it off, the straw-hatted teen stretched out his arms, clenching them in time with his footsteps.

The sound of the audience seemed to come back by now, people gasping in horror as they put together what was happening.

" _They're...they're going to fight!_ "

" _But that doesn't make sense, why would they d-?_ "

" _Perhaps the Whitebeard Captain despises Straw-hat._ "

His ears picking up at this, Luffy briefly looked towards the man, his eyebrows furrowing.

 _What?_  From what he just picked up off Pineapple, he seemed to have nothing against Luffy. After all, he was one of Ace's crew-mates. Luffy saw no reason how why they wouldn't get along-

_Oh._

His eyes suddenly narrowing towards the ground, the straw-hatted teen released his grip on his fingers; his pupils glazing over.

_He was the reason Ace was dead._

Gritting his teeth at the thought, Luffy shook his head, shaking away the stinging feeling in his eyes. Breathing out heavily, the teen re-looked towards the Whitebeard Captain, reminding himself why he was here.

Re-forming his stance, Luffy quickly yelled out to the blonde with all his might; his tone more committed than before. "I don't care who you are," He started, the Whitebeard Captain looking slightly surprised. "...You could be anyone!-  _A Marine_ ,  _a Pirate_...even! Even Ace's crew-mate!" His voice faltering at his brothers name slightly, the teen stumbled backwards, before raising his fists into the sky. "But I'm not leaving this island, without Ace's fruit!"

Not leaving any time for the blonde to respond, Luffy leaped into the sky with ease; appearing above the Whitebeard Captain instantly. " _Gear Third._ " Biting harshly down onto his thumb, the teen blew quickly into the rubber which expanded; raising his fist up once more and slamming it down towards the Whitebeard Captain.

Almost simultaneously as the attack formed, Marco leapt from his spot to the side; the tips of his fingers coming into harsh contact with the dusted ground below. Letting the flames reach to the said finger tips, the blonde was able to quickly dodge the swing of the rubber-teen's arm towards him; leading him to hang off the side of the arena's walls.

Allowing for the blue flames to ignite down the base of his arm, Marco easily glided towards where the rubber-teen last attacked; directing his foot towards the sole part of the boy's head.

Turning around in rhythm with the blonde's attack, the teen lifted his arm up instantly; forming contact with the edge of Marco's heel painfully. " _Haki._ " Twitching at the impact, Luffy instantly flew back into the far side of the arena; Marco quickly following him.

Coughing out a spit of blood from his mouth, Luffy lifted himself up from the shattered wall behind him, wiping the red liquid away from his lips casually. Spotting the man racing towards him with blue-flames, the teen stretched out his arm towards the ledges above; just about missing the next attack the blonde had formed.

Quickly looking down to the blonde's features to re-catch his breath, Luffy's eyes widened to see the calm look still registered on the Phoenix's face; his breathing controlled and body un-harmed.

 _A phoenix?_ The word clicked in Luffy's mind, hearing the voice of his Archeologist explaining the creature to him.

" _They say_..." Robin started, her voice still echoing in the back of his mind as the teen dodged yet another attack from the blonde.

"... _that if you ever come across a Blue Phoenix_..."

Hearing the screams of the crowd heighten near to where he was standing, Luffy instantly backed away from the wall; wrapping his legs around the banister and pushing himself off with all his strength. Sending himself over to the opposite side of the arena, the rubber-teen was able to briefly tell where Marco had been- earning a gulp from his lips as he saw the damage the wall was sustaining.

"... _that_ _it'd be best not to agitate it_..."

"Da-Damn it." The rubber-teen muttered to himself, gritting the ground below with his nails; before rushing over to where the blonde was perched. Flinging his hand back behind him to stretch, Luffy was able to twist it instantly in time to reach were the blonde was standing; yelling out fiercely as his fist brushed against the side of Marco's cheek. " _Gomu Gomu no Rifle_!"

"... _for_ _no matter how hard you try_..."

Watching as the blonde retreated to the far right of the arena, Luffy inwardly gulped; his eyes glued to the long streak of blood falling from the side of the Phoenix's face.

"... _If you see it in its true form_..."

Unexpecting to the teen, a small tint of blue flickered from the wound; easily being recognized as the flames which covered the blonde before.

"... _You cannot harm it_ _in any way_."

Watching the flame with confusion, Luffy's mouth slowly went agape, his pupils trembling as his voice uttered out a small mumble. "What's that?!"

" _For a Phoenix can never die_."

In place from where the small wound was, was a completely bare piece of skin; the blood slowly dripping off the healed spot with ease. The blonde simply sighed at this, wiping it away calmly and straightening his back out once more.

"It healed?" Luffy questioned breathlessly to himself, his head turning in confusion.

Shrugging of the  _minor_ detail for now, the teen clenched his fists and started to run towards the blonde determinedly; activating his Haki while dodging the blonde's attack from above.

Biting down on his lip, Marco slammed down into the ground below; gritting his nails into the dust as he whipped the leg around, twitching as it connected with the rubber-teen's running.

Tripping for a split of a second, Luffy scowled; flinging his arm out to the crumbled ledge once more. Seeing this, Marco allowed the blue flames to echo down to his heels, flicking them up towards Straw-hat's head before he reached the walls of the arena.

Successfully connecting this attack, Luffy was flown harshly towards the ground; his face coming in painful contact with the pointed stones below. Taking this as another chance to attack, Marco whisked beside where the rubber-teen was kicked; placing his foot directly into the sky and kicking it down to the spot where Luffy lay.

Able to anticipate this attack, Luffy rolled instantly to the side with a wince; covering his face as the attack hit the floor beside him with a bang. Acting out as a chance to escape for a brief moment, Luffy jumped back; once again wiping the blood dripping from the left side of his cheek.

Punching the ground below, the rubber-teen fiercely looked in the direction of the blonde; ignoring the slight burning sensation steaming from his skin. " _Gear Second_." He uttered out, between his teeth; inwardly thankful that the blonde had stopped to take a breath.

As soon as the rubber-teen leapt out to where he was previously standing, Marco mirrored the same action; flinging himself directly towards the wall before allowing for the blue flames perched on his heels to flicker away.

Swallowing harshly, the blonde twitched; recognizing a small pain lingering on his right heel. Inwardly cursing at this, Marco let the flames travel down the length of his arms; before using them to reach the straw-hatted teen quickly; rotating his body backwards so he could power up a front kick towards the rubber-teen's chest.

Unknowing of this, Luffy placed his left palm straight in front of him; his other arm clenched and raised in a fist. Seeing the blonde quickly making his way towards him, the teen leapt up; gritting the words from his mouth. " _Gomu Gomu no, Bullet!_ " Stretching out the arm behind him, the skin instantly darkened to a metallic color; the fist appearing centimeters away from the blonde's face within seconds.

His eyes widening in time with the attack, Marco was forced slightly back; his hand clasping one of the broken rocks with shortened breaths. Straining to keep his eyes open, the blonde raised his hand into the air, allowing for the deadly blue flames to echo down it once more.

Scanning the sight of the rubber-teen, Marco frowned; guilt easily welling up in his eyes as he saw the state the teen was in.

Not noticing the scars that lay on the teen from the previous fights before, Marco gulped, his teeth clenching together tightly.

This was Ace's brother-  _someone_ that Ace treasured dearly.

He easily remembers the times that the fire-head would ramble off about him, telling him about the many stupid but marvelous things the small rubber-kid would do. And each time, Ace was always found with the same gentle smile; his eyes always glazed over in thought.

He remembers the time when the kid's first bounty came out, amused to see how excited the freckled-man was to proudly show everyone the poster.

Not to mention, that Ace was willing to sacrifice himself for the teen.

Clenching his fist together more harshly than before, Marco winced at the sight of blood dripping from his fingers; before his sight was once more launched onto the small rubber-teen.

Taking in the small figure which was breathless and hurt, Marco narrowed his eyes; letting go of the bolder and slowly walking towards Luffy.

... _He couldn't do it_.

It was as simple as that. The Phoenix couldn't bring himself to mane the one person that Ace held dear.

Though obviously the simple-minded teen didn't think the same way, for within a few seconds a straw-hat was facing a few meters away from the blonde; a fist taking away that sight instantly and connecting towards the center of Marco's chest.

Able to only slightly back off most of the attack, Marco was quickly whisked to the opposite end of the arena; barely missing the water behind. Eying the water that was a few inches away, the blonde let out a deep breath; before looking back towards the rubber-teen.

Brushing off the debris scattered on him, the blonde narrowed his eyebrows; trying to figure out how to stop the straw-hatted teen before either of them got hurt.

Just as Marco was stepping out towards the teen, a huge explosion sounded a few inches away from both Phoenix and Straw-hat; causing screams to echo everywhere in the arena. Holding his arm up to block out the debris flying towards him, Marco scowled; focusing his eyes onto the lone figure who stood in the midst of the explosion.

"Wha-?" The rubber-teen mumbled under his breath, also blocking his eyes with his arm; wincing at the sight of the figure.

Almost instantly as the words exited his mouth, the figure rushed up to the duo; grabbing them unexpectedly by the collars and dragging them to the shadowed corner of the colosseum entrance.

Yelping in surprise, the rubber-teen instantly looked towards the figure with slight irritation; clenching his fists down to his side and furrowing his eyebrows. "Oi! Why did you do that?!"

Rubbing the back of his neck with a frown, the blonde sighed deeply; before glancing up towards the figure.

Before them, stood a small, agile-looking woman; smirking proudly to herself. The woman wasn't that detailed herself, but it was the way she seemed to carry herself that perked Marco's interest.

She wore a particularity un-interesting bob hat, which easily covered the area of her hair. Her hair itself was in similar shape of the bob-hat, sitting happily on her shoulders; tinted with a light hazel color. She wore simple clothing, nothing that stood out to the expecting eye; but did carry a set of knives which was easily visible to anyone who wanted to look.

All in all, she wasn't someone that Marco would have expected to interrupt a battle such as his and Straw-hat's; but made sure not to take the girl lightly.

Pouting out her lip, the girl sighed; running her fingers through her hair with a mumble. " _Damn it Sabo. Leaving all the crappy jobs to me._ " Ignoring her pointless whisper for now, Marco stood up from where he'd been dragged; once again brushing himself off of the debris he was covered in. Wincing at the touch of his chest, the blonde frowned, lightly tapping his right ankle on the floor.

"Oi." The woman muttered, her face a few inches away from the blondes. "Earth to yellow-hair." Waving her hand in front of the Phoenix's face with a small smirk, the blonde sighed once more; taking her hand away from his face.

"Are you going to answer him?" Marco stated, gesturing towards the rubber-teen. "Because you better have a good reason for interrupting our fight like that."

Not taking the hint of threat at all to heart, the woman placed a finger on her lips; her eyes teasingly searching the room for an answer. "Hmmm." She hummed, causing for the rubber-teen to question once more.

"What?"

"Ah!" Pointing her finger up in the air with yet another smirk, the girl chuckled; sitting down on a nearby boulder with a small innocent smile. "That's it." Swinging her legs in the air, the girl nodded; before holding out her hand. "My name's Koala, it's a pleasure to meet you." Tilting her head slightly to the side, Koala grinned; letting go of the sweets as they fell to the floor.

Blinking, the teen nodded; taking a hold of the hand with a slightly confused smile. "My name's Luffy! I'm goin-"

"Don't worry!" Bursting out the words with excitement, Koala flung her hands to the back of her head; letting out a small whistle. "I already know your name, both in fact."

"Woah!- Really?" The teen stated over-enthusiastically back, his own head tilting.

Letting out yet another sigh, the blonde leaned back onto the wall; his eyes glued to the weirdly-excited girl. "It's not that surprising, after all. I doubt people kept quiet about us being here as soon as the fight broke out."

"Oh." Luffy mumbled, before placing a fist in his hand. "Well, it was nice to meet you Koala! See ya'!" Turning around fully to face back towards the arena, the rubber-teen obviously walked away from the blonde and the girl; causing Koala to appear in front of him almost instantly.

"Bad idea." Was all she stated, making the rubber-teen to furrow his eyebrows.

"And why would it be a bad idea?" The Phoenix asked, rubbing his finger's between his temple.

Tutting, Koala walked back towards the blonde; a small smirk once again crawling onto her lips. "Didn't you know yellow-hair? The Marines are coming to town, and word's going round that they're bringing thousands of their men." Ignoring the sudden seriousness that echoed in the conversation, Koala continued on; looking past Marco's widened eyes. "In fact, you should consider yourself lucky that we interrupted you. If not, this place would be crawling with Marines within minutes. And," Glancing briefly towards the rubber-teen with a saddened look, Koala sighed; stretching out her arms with a yawn. "...We wouldn't want that now, would we? Two crews like yours in one place? It'd a field day for the Marines if they caught you both."

"And why would you care?" Marco uttered out, successfully catching the attention of the girl.

Instantly sending the blonde a grin, the girl wrapped her arm around the rubber-teen's neck; ruffling his hair with a giggle. "Because you see, my partner has a small connection to both of you. I think he'd be heartbroken if anything happened to both of you. Especially this one." Poking her finger out to the straw-hatted teen beside her, Koala giggled once more; before letting go of Luffy and flinging her hands behind her back.

Stumbling forward, Luffy shook his head; before blinking a few times. "Huh? Me?" The rubber-teen mumbled out, confusion uttering his eyes.

"Yep! You." The girl stated again, but didn't press on any further. Clapping her hands together, Koala pointed both pirates towards a small door which looked familiar to the Phoenix. "Now  _that's_ the best way to get out. Not that you have much choice in the matter, you're going whether you want to or not."

Furrowing his eyebrows, Marco glued his sight towards the door which had previously drew his attention; though slowly sighed at the girl's attitude.

Skipping over to where the door was placed, Koala hummed; opening the door without ease before glancing back towards Marco and Luffy.

"Well..." She started, tilting her head to the side with an innocent smile. "Shall we go?"

* * *

It had seemed like forever before anything remotely interesting happened in the 'Golden Room', Ace barely keeping awake and the Voice not straying far from his side.

Suddenly, a crash erupted from above, causing the ex-Commander to stumble forward from his spot on the wall and frantically look around. "The hell was that?!" Looking towards the Voice for answers, a small scowl formed on the fire-thrower's lips as he saw the Voice shrug; it's eyes as frantic as his.

Seemingly answering their questions, was a figure appearing in the one doorway at the back of the 'room'; it's own body covered in a cloak similar to Ace's. Breathing heavily, the figure slowly walked over to the center of the room, it's eyes narrowing at the sight of Ace.

Instantly getting into a stance, the mystery figure glared; it's voice rough-  _yet slightly familiar._

"It appears," He started, his fingers clenching together under his gloves. "...that you aren't the lovely Haruta I was waiting for."

Scowling, Ace inwardly gagged; his own eyes glaring into the soles of the others. Seeing his eyes landing on the piece of paper he still had in hand, the figure twitched.

"Where did you get that?"

Straightening his back to form a stance himself, Ace folded the paper away; his glare not faltering in the slightest. "Who the fuck are you?" Ace asked bluntly, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, but you see. The young lady I gave that too, she's supposed to be here. And to find that you're here instead," The edging halt in his words gave the fire-thrower a good idea on what he was about to say, to which Ace simply laughed.

"...Then I don't care."

Silence echoed after his words, the figure seemingly over-throwing the question in his own mind. Finally breaking the silence, the figure chuckled; pulling off one of his gloves with a completely different demeanor. "I haven't got the time to mess around down here, so if you could quickly tell me where Miss Haruta is, that would be  _great_." Tinting the last words with a threat, the figure stepped forward once more towards Ace.

Splitting out a grin, Ace nodded; before stating with amusement. "Afraid I can't do that,  _weirdo_. See, I could be just handing her over to a creepy pervert, or even a Marine. And I don't know which is worse to be honest."

Ignoring Ace's words, the Voice stuttered; it's eyes fixated on the cloaked man. "... _I-it can't be_ _._ "

Twitching at Ace's words, the figure instantly threw a punch in the ex-Commander's direction; crashing into the wall behind as he glared at the ducking Ace.

"Very well then, it looks like I'll just have to force it out of you."


	21. Chapter 21

Sabo was surprised to say the least. He never in a million years would have thought that Koala would have ever agreed to follow such an absurd plan, let alone go through with it.

But here they both were- or more like here  _he_ was.

Letting out a deep sigh, the blonde wiped his forehead, his train of thought jumbled by seeing his brother fighting out in the arena below. Swallowing down what he pretended to be most of his doubts, the blonde glanced over to his colleague, earning a small frown on his lips as he saw her face.

"What ever is the matter Sabo?" She asked with a tint of amusement, digging into the bag of sweets with what seemed like no worries. "Perhaps you've realized that maybe your plan might not go down so well as you thought it would. After all, it seems to me that your brother could handle himself quite well, seeing how well he is holding himself up against that Whitebeard Captain over there."

Twitching at her words, Sabo childishly turned away from Koala, earning yet another laugh from the bob-hatted girl.

Splitting out a smirk from her lips, Koala giggled, swinging herself around to face her colleague. "Oh! I've got it spot on then?"

"You haven't." The blonde responded hastily, closing his eyes as he heard the sides of the arena break down from the fight. "We're still going through with it as we planned."

"Well, if you're going to do it at any time, now would be the best." She mumbled back, her eyes rolling over to see the slightly scratched straw-hatted teen. "After all, it doesn't look like this fight will be going on much longer."

Narrowing his eyebrows at her words, Sabo hesitantly turned around to face towards the arena, his eyes widening at the sight.

Luffy was going to  _lose_.

From his view, it was fairly obvious from the start that the younger wouldn't stand that much of a chance of winning, but being the thick-skinned revolutionary he was; he refused to believe it.

Chucking all his previous concerns away, the blonde looked directly into Koala's eyes. "Damn it!" He muttered angrily, leaping up from his seat as the bob-hatted girl chuckled once more.

"So, I'll take that as a 'Yes, the plan is still going ahead?'" Koala questioned closely into Sabo's ear, her voice tinted with amusement.

Looking down directly into the others eyes, Sabo hesitantly nodded, his eyes narrowing.

Standing up from the seat, Koala smirked, chucking up her hand with a small wave. "Well then! See you on the other side Sabo. If I die, it's all your fault!"

Comforting Sabo with those last words, Koala disappeared from his side, seemingly re-appearing in the midst of the contest below. Not bothering to stay any longer to check, the blonde whipped up his cloak, hiding most of his features behind the shadows.

As if on cue, the collessuem exploded with screams of surprise and fear as countless onlookers pointed to the center of the arena.

" _The hell?!_ " Not bothering to glance towards the onlooker's scream, Sabo stepped forward, ignoring the commotion the explosion in the midst of the arena had caused. Dodging the scurrying toys and people, the blonde glanced towards the path leading it's way into the entrance of the tunnels, to which he will hopefully find Haruta.

Finally spotting the door, Sabo halted, letting out a deep breath.

The Marines would surely be alerted by the unexpected events at the collessuem, so the blonde knew he didn't have much time to grab both Luffy and Haruta's crews and escape as safely as they could.

It was a challenge, but one that he didn't have any other choice to accept.

Pushing the door open hesitantly, Sabo was instantly met with light; something that was unexpected to be found at the start of a tunnel. Wincing, the blonde took a step forward, accidentally stumbling backwards onto the door causing for it to slam with a crash.

Blinking, Sabo grumbled, wiping the dust off his face as he straightened his back. Re-adjusting his gloves, the blonde took in his surrounding's once more, before being stopped by a figure in the distance.

Calling out to the figure with slight relief, Sabo slowly walked up to it; letting out a small smile. "Haru-?" Almost instantly as he had started, the revolutionary halted; his eyes narrowing and stance hardening.

As the dust parted from the air, Sabo's vision became clearer, showing him that he figure before him didn't belong to woman in the slightest, let alone Haruta. "It appears," He started, his fists clenching. "...that you are not the lovely Haruta I was waiting for."

The man continued to be silent, his eyes glaring at the blondes with annoyance.

Frowning, the blonde's eyes darted to what the man had in his hand, which to his shock, was the small piece of paper he had previously handed Haruta. "Where did you get that?" He asked with caution, his mind focused on where the girl-commander now was.

Blinking, the man tilted his head slightly before tucking the said piece of paper away. Gritting his teeth, he took a small step back, uttering out a small question between his lips. "And who the fuck are you?"

Seeing he wasn't going to get any straight answer out of the figure, Sabo sighed; bringing his hand up to his forehead with a wince. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that." Deciding to respond with a half-bothered answer, the blonde smirked slightly.

The man wanted to be cryptic? Well, two could play that game.

"But you see, the young lady I gave that too-" Sabo quickly gestured towards the pocket the paper was placed in. "...She's supposed to be here."

Unexpectedly, the man just laughed, causing the revolutionary to raise an eyebrow. "I don't care about that." He uttered out, straightening his back with a mirrored smirk. "What I want to know is who the hell you are."

Twitching, a small frown stretched across the blonde's lips, his eyes assessing the figure curiously.

The man-  _he was familiar._ Sabo couldn't quite put his finger on where he had seen him before, but he definitely knew this wasn't the first time they had talked.

It wasn't that surprising to the revolutionary that he'd met such an annoying character before, seeing as he dealt with them day to day.

But something about this person- it gave a twisting feeling in his gut.

Shaking away those thought for the mean-time, the blonde stretched out the fabric of his gloves, pulling them off swiftly as he threw them onto the ground with a grumble. "I haven't got  _time_ to mess around, Mr. So if you could quickly tell me where Miss Haruta might be, that would be  _great_."

Irritably, the figure just laughed again, his smirk showing through the shadows of the cloak. "Afraid I can't do that,  _weirdo_." Sabo narrowed his eyebrows, not liking the cockiness of the man's attitude.

_He was definitely familiar. There was no doubt about it._

_And the fact that Sabo couldn't think of where he'd seen him before irritated him more than the man's actual words._

"See..." The figure gestured his hands out, his voice tinted in amusement.

_Maybe it had been in the past? But that couldn't of been it. After all, the only people he'd had known in the past had been Luffy and A-_

"I could just be handing her over to a creepy pervert, or even a Marine."

_He could just ask him- though the thought of not figuring it out by himself was insulting to the blonde. Maybe he had previously worked in the revolutionaries? Though wouldn't that mean that the man would recognise him as well?_

"...And I don't know which one is worst to be honest."

 _Damn it!-_ Hearing the man finish his words, Sabo twitched, his arm unconsciously making it's way towards the figure's head, colliding with the wall behind him almost instantly.

"It looks like I'll just have to force it out of you." The blonde muttered to himself almost too loudly, causing the man to stare widely at the revolutionary.

Sure, the man might not have been Haruta-  _god knows where she is..._ but Sabo was sure of one thing.

He was going to find out who the hell this man was.

* * *

Luffy was, as some put it, confused to say the least.

Hearing such a statement referring to the rubber-captain wasn't uncommon, due to the fact he lacked in common sense.

Though in this situation, it wouldn't be surprising.

Standing beside the Whitebeard Captain he was previously fighting, Luffy pouted; stretching out his arms with a groan. "Is this going to take much longer?"

Staying silent, the mysterious bob-hatted girl continued to lead the way through the tunnel, causing for the rubber-teen to complain once more. "Where are you taking us?"

Still, the girl said nothing.

Earning a small frown of his own, the blonde Captain narrowed his eyes; cautiously taking steps in the girl's direction. "You do realize that if the Marines  _are_ actually coming to this island, that I'm not going to just leave without my crew."

Seemingly not thinking this through himself, Luffy uttered a small gasp, his eyes widening in what could be a combination of surprise and fury. "What!? Hey, you! Is pineapple-"

"My name is Marco. Mar-co."

"-right?! Are you taking us off the island without our crews?!" Luffy finished, running up to the girl's side.

Humming, the bob-hatted girl smiled; like she was enjoying the two Captain's curiosity in where they were going.

But she continued to stay silent.

Letting out a small huff, Marco glanced to the side, before his eyes scrolled over towards the straw-hatted boy. "You might as well give up, it doesn't look she's going to say anything useful to us any time soon."

Glancing back at the blonde Captain, Luffy pouted, slowing down his steps to be by the side of Marco once more. "Then why are we following her?" He muttered out childishly, causing the Whitebeard Captain to raise an eyebrow.

"It does seem pretty daring of you to interrupt our fight like that." Marco whispered to himself, though his words were heard by the others.

"As I said." Koala started, making the two Captain's go silent and listen to her words intensely. "It wasn't me who thought up interrupting your little 'fight'." Chuckling softly, the bob-hatted girl turned to face both Marco and Luffy, her feet still skipping forwards.

"It was your companion?" Marco finished off for her, his eyes narrowing slightly. "That isn't going to cut it. You have to give us more information than  _that_." Halting in his steps, the blonde Captain put his hand directly onto his hip, his eyes glued to the bob-hatted girl.

Seeing the other stop, Luffy quickly followed, crossing his arms over his chest; his pout still visible on his lips. "I'm not going anywhere I don't want to." He stated, his eyebrows narrowing.

Seeing this, Koala slowly stopped, letting out a small sigh. Mirroring the Whitebeard Captain's actions, the brunette placed her hands on her hips, her head tilting to the side. Her face grew a tired look, as she closed her eyes with a huff. "He had to give me the job of handling  _you two_. Didn't he."

Taking a few steps closer to the two halted Captain's, Koala unexpectedly sat down on the ground, crossing her legs over with another sigh. "Well, fine. Let's have it your way."

Blinking Luffy stared down at the girl with confusion, before parting his lips to ask a question. Quickly interrupting anything the rubber-teen had to say, the brunette spoke up once more, her voice easily recognized as being irritated. "Let's just sit here and stare at each other in this damp, dark tunnel whilst Marines take over this island and most possibly; attack your crews."

"...What?" Marco started, his features completely changed from what they were before.

But once again, before any of the Captain's had a thing to say, Koala had started to talk; silencing the blonde from speaking.

" _Or_ , you could just quietly follow the person who might possibly have just saved your asses from being whipped by both Marines and Dolflamingo's men and leave this island as safely as possible." Clicking her finger's, Koala pointed bluntly to both Captain's, her mouth still drawn in a frown.

"You'll be happy, I'll be happy- The Marines? Not so much. But doesn't it seem better than just constantly questioning what I am doing?"

Tilting his head, Luffy stared blankly at the girl. "Dolflamingo's ...men?" He whispered to himself, before his eyes widened considerably. "I'd completely forgotten about him!" He screamed aloud, causing for the blonde Captain to re-think the situation he was in.

"Yes, we realized that." Koala muttered out, her head now leaning on her palm. "And that's why you have to  _trust_ me on this. So what'd 'ya say? Do you want to continue sitting here or do you actually want to escape this thing in one piece?"

"But my crew-!" Luffy started, his arms gesturing outwards. "They're still all around the island! I'd completely for-"

"-gotten about it. Yes. I registered that. Now can we  _please_ move on so we can actually  _gather_ your crew." Koala had stated with some annoyance, before her eyes scrolled over to Marco's. "Any more complaints or questions?"

Narrowing his eyes, Marco let out a small sigh, before shaking his head slightly. "Let's just get this over and done with. Though I can't believe I'm putting my trust in some stranger."

Splitting out a smirk, Koala leapt from the ground, clapping her hands together with a small laugh. "...that just saved you." Turning her back to the two Captains, the brunette skipped forward cheerfully. "That was easier than I had expected." She mumbled to herself, her smirk widening as she heard both Luffy and Marco follow her.

"Hey..." The straw-hat teen mumbled out, his head tilted back in wonder.

"...Where are we?"

-Or maybe she had just spoken to soon.

* * *

Zoro winced, his sight almost instantly blurred by the explosion of dust which overtook the arena. "The..." He mumbled out, causing him to cough out the debris which had floated into his mouth. "-hell was that!?"

Standing up from the seat, Robin scanned the area, her eyes darting everywhere. "It wasn't Captain-san, that's for sure." Her voice tinted in worry, the dark-haired woman glanced down to the swords-man, her hand settling on his shoulder. "We need to go."

"What's up with all this dust?!" The clown shouted out beside the two straw-hat pirate's, his arms flailing everywhere.

"Why?" Zoro asked almost instantly, his eyebrow's furrowed towards Robin.

Her fists clenching slightly, the dark-haired woman frowned, her eyes darted over to the arena once more. "Luffy. He's not there anymore." She whispered out, causing for the green-haired swordsman to jump from his seat.

"What?!" He shouted out, his voice a little louder than needed. Leaning forward towards the row of seats in front of him, Zoro stared intensely at the arena before him, waiting for the dust to part and make his sight clearer.

To his shock, the previously active arena before him was bare; no sign of either Luffy or the Whitebeard Captain anywhere.

His eye widening almost instantaneously, Zoro gripped the seat harshly, before looking back to Robin. "Damn it, Luffy!" He once again shouted out before the crowds, causing strange looks to penetrate towards the trio.

Previously ignoring the discussion of the disappearance of the Straw-hat Captain, Buggy exaggeratedly spat out the dust from his mouth, before glancing to where the other two pirate's where staring out. "Eh?" He whispered out, blinking once more. "Eh?!" Joining the others in standing up, the clown screamed out, his hand pointing towards the centre of the arena.

"Where's Straw-Hat gone?!"

Seeing as this brought more attention towards them, Robin twitched, grabbing the clown's shoulder harshly and dragging him down; out of the sight of the on-looker's.

" _Hey, isn't that..._?"

" _W-What are they doing here?!_ "

" _It's the Straw-Hat Pirate's_!"

"... _And Buggy the Clown? Isn't he a Shichibukai?_ "

Realising that the trio where being recognized, Zoro slowly gulped, before glancing towards Robin. "You're right. We need to get out of here, quickly."

Hearing a high-pitch scream echo from the crowd, the two Straw-Hat Pirates took it as this was a good time to run. Grabbing Buggy in tow, Robin and Zoro dodged through the shocked on-looker's as they searched for places to escape.

"Where the hell did Luffy go?" Zoro whispered frustratedly to himself, his eye searching the collessuem for some kind of exit.

"I wouldn't worry about Straw-Hat right now." Buggy squeaked out, patting the swordsman on the shoulder cautiously.

Twitching at the touch, Zoro instantly looked over his shoulder, his eye once again widening as his steps came to a halt.

Hearing the sounds of her companions stopping, Robin parted her lips to speak, before her eyes fell onto what the other two where seeing. Her words faltering, the dark-haired woman stared towards the other side of the arena, her heart-beat quickening almost instantly.

Standing at the edge of the collessuem, was an immense figure; one that was recognizable to any citizen living in the Grandline.

_The Marines were here._

And by the look of what the trio were seeing, there were thousands.

Swallowing, the navigator glanced briefly towards the green-haired swordsman, almost fearful of the shock on his face as well.

Well, Robin wasn't wrong at least.

Things were sure to become interesting, though not in the way she'd wanted.

* * *

Ace hadn't expected for the figure to attack him so unexpectedly; let alone being so committed to 'beat' some kind of information out of him. Taking one glance at the man-  _he had quickly realised that the figure's voice belonged to a man_ , it was obvious that he was pissed at the fire-thrower.

Hints of that had been showed when the man had tried to flip him harshly into the ground, or when he had connected his fist directly into the ex-Commander's face.

Ace had supposed he'd pissed the figure off, though didn't understand what he did to this extent.

Dodging yet another one of the figure's attacks towards his head, the fire-thrower twitched, flinging himself over to the opposite side of the room.

"Shit-!" He muttered to himself, trying to straighten his way back into his stance. Wheezing out a cough, the fire-thrower stared directly towards the blonde, his fists clenching in annoyance.

 _Those moves- he'd seen them before_.

Narrowing his eyes, Ace stumbled forward, his back swaying slightly from the previous hit.

_A long time ago._

Wincing at the sudden pain in his shoulder, the ex-Commander darted quickly to the left; his eyes widening as he saw the wall beside him completely shattered.

His eyebrow's furrowing, Ace yelled out to the figure as he clutched his shoulder tightly. "Wait! Where have I seen you befor-"

Before he could finish off his sentence, another fist appeared before him, causing the fire-thrower to gulp and duck instantly. Taking the only chance he had had so far to hit the man, Ace swerved out his leg below, immediately making contact with the figure's ankles.

Not expecting this, the figure yelped; stumbling towards the ex-Commander with his arms stretched out. Placing his palm on the floor, the man quickly regained himself, lifting himself instantly off the ground and his feet directly into the air.

Seeing this, Ace ducked once more to the side; watching as the figure's leg darted fiercely into the ground.

_/_

" _And that makes it a draw!" The small straw-hatted boy shouted out in amazement, watching with joy at the previously battling boys as they tirelessly collapsed onto the floor._

_/_

His eyes glazing over, Ace glanced down, suddenly ignoring the next attack the man was firing.

But that was impossible.

_/_

" _You've improved..." A kid similar to the age of Ace sputtered out, his breaths drawn and heavy. "Seriously. I can just about keep up with you!"_

_Dressed in the unique blue coat and black top-hat that Ace had come to get used to, the kid laughed cheerfully, throwing his hands up in the air with a sigh._

" _It's times like these which I wish lasted forever." He whispered out, forming a toothy grin across his lips._

/

There was only one person who he'd seen fight in such a similar way that Ace had used-  _one person that couldn't possibly be here no more._

Closing his eyes, the ex-Commander shook his head, his eyes re-falling onto the attacking figure a few steps away from him.

How could he possibly be thinking of him now? Even after all the years he'd spent trying to live up to his departed brother's wish, it seemed like Ace had still wanted to somehow believe that he was fine; living his life out on the seas as free as he could be, just like he had said.

Trying his best to throw away those thoughts for the time being, the fire-thrower leapt up from where he had stumbled, regaining his stance as the figure ran up to him.

The man had wanted a fight. And Ace was happy to return that call, despite the unwanted recollections it had just brought him.

Deciding that activating his Devil-Fruit might not be the cleverest idea, the ex-Commander settled in using his bare fists; similar to what the man before him was using.

Flinging his hand back, Ace clenched down harshly into his palm, directing it towards the center of the figure's chest.

"... _It really is him._ "

A familiar voice echoed around the room, instantly distracting the fire-thrower from his attack. Twitching at the sound of it's voice, Ace darted his eyes towards the Voice's figure; his eyes narrowing dangerously.

" _B-but that's impossible._ " The Voice  _stuttered-?_ causing the ex-Commander to instantly lose his glare; it being quickly replaced by widened eyes. The Voice was staring, almost stunned at the sight of the man beside him; it's mouth wide open as countless mumbles fell out.

Raising an eyebrow, Ace was about to ask what the Voice so shocked about, before a familiar fist interrupted and threw him to the center of the 'Golden Room'.

"Damn it!" The man had yelled out in frustration, quickly making his way over to where Ace had been thrown.

The fire-thrower winced in pain once more, coughing out a mixture of debris and blood from his mouth as he stared up at the oncoming figure; his fist clenching ever so slightly. "I don't know why you want Haruta this badly," Ace slowly mumbled out, leaning up against the circular wall placed in the center of the room. "...but if you seriously think I'm going to tell you, you're highly mistaken. _Highly_."

"...Huh?" The figure responded, it's voice almost surprised at the statement.

"Isn't that what this is all about?" Ace bellowed out, twitching as the pain from his shoulder returned.

The man suddenly went silent, seemingly thinking over what the fire-thrower had just said; leaving Ace to stare blankly at the man with confusion.

Then, out of the blue, the figure leaned down to the height Ace was propped at; the features of his face showing slightly through the shadows.

"...Who are you?"

Blinking, Ace pondered the question for a moment, re-asking it in his head. "What?"

"..." The man said nothing, his stare still gazing harshly into Ace's eyes; seemingly trying to get a glance of what the fire-thrower looked like.

Noticing the awkwardness of the situation Ace had now found himself in, he quickly cleared his chest; before narrowing his eyes directly into the man's, almost mirroring his stare. "I could ask you the same question as well." He asked with his voice tinted in caution. "Because no matter how much you stare at me, I'm not revealing anything."

It had seemed that for a few moments, the man hadn't heard him, for he continued to stare into brim's of Ace's cloak. But finally, the man let out an exhausted sigh, moving back slightly as he stood up once more.

"Very well." He stated, moving his hand up towards the hood of his own cloak. "I guess it would be rude not to introduce myself first." Grasping the fabric with hesitance, the figure drew back the hood; the feature's in his face almost instantly becoming clearer as it hit the light.

"The name is Sabo, and it's a  _pleasure_ to meet you."


	22. Chapter 22

 

"Sabo."

Hearing the single word leaving the strangers mouth, Ace froze.

His pupils edgily started to make their way towards where the figures head was shadowed, his breathing becoming quicker within seconds.

_...N-no._

"The name is Sabo."

_It couldn't-_

"And it's a  _pleasure_ to meet you."

_...It_ **can't** _be._

Repeating that single name in his head, Ace stared intensely at the cloaked figure. His lips parting slightly, the ex-Commander unconsciously squirmed closer to the wall behind him, somehow alerting the figure.

"Hm?" Sabo mumbled, his eyebrow raising curiously.

Swallowing harshly, Ace let out a small; weak chuckle, his pupils shaking with confusion. "...W-what?" The fire-thrower whispered out, his words shaken.

 _Sabo._ That name. It was a name that he'd been repeating inside his mind ever since he was a kid.

But that person had died. He knew he had recognized the man from before somewhere, but this-  _this_ wasn't possible.

Then again. Him being alive shouldn't be possible either.

"S-Sabo?" Ace re-questioned, his eyes pleadingly looking at the figure for some explanation- or proof that  _he was_ the brother he had lost long ago.

"So you do recognize my name then." 'Sabo' responded, his arms crossing over proudly. Furrowing his eyebrows, the man narrowed his eyes, his head tilting slightly to the side. "O-Oi." He started, his hand reaching out to Ace. "Are you okay?"

He wasn't. That was a fact.

Swallowing harshly on any failing attempt of a comeback he could think off, Ace took a deep breath.

There was only three possibilities.

One, the stranger also  _happened_ to have the same name as his deceased brother- who he also happened to think of whilst they were fighting.

Two, the stranger purposely said that name to piss the fire-thrower off.

Or three...

"..."

Stumbling up from where he was previously sitting, the ex-Commander looked down, keeping his features hidden from the other. Glancing briefly at the surprised look on the stranger's face, Ace twitched, before stuttering out a quiet reply.

"Your cloak." He started, causing for the figure to raise an eyebrow. "...Put the hood down."

"Huh?" The stranger questioned, not expecting such a blunt request. "Why would you want me to do tha-"

"J-just do it!" Ace shouted out hastily, his eyes glued to where the strangers face was shadowed.

He had to see his face again- he  _needed_ too. He wanted to believe that it was his brother staring obliviously back at him... but then again.

Was it even possible for him to be alive? Dogra has said he'd clearly seen Sabo's death- though hundreds had seen his own as well. Clenching his fists, Ace swallowed once more, his eyes unfazing from his thoughts.

It was easily visible that the figure was confused, his body shifting slightly back. But to Ace's relief, the stranger sighed, noticeably shaking his head as he reached up to the tip of the cloak. "I must say, if my colleague saw me doing this she'd probably kill me." He huffed out, causing Ace to twitch at the remark.

"But for you _,_ " Tensing on the name, the man started to pull back slowly on the cloak. "...I will make an exception."

Watching as the stranger pulled the cloth down to his neck, Ace tensed; before stumbling back.

Taking in each feature within a second, the fire-thrower let out a small gasp; his hands and pupils shaking almost instantly with disbelief.

The man was in his twenties at least, showing signs that he was around the same age as Ace. His hair was the pale blonde color to which the fire-thrower recognized instantly, it's style similar to his own. Glancing up briefly gave Ace two owlish eyes which were staring back at his, almost exactly like Luffy's. Hanging visibly around his neck was a pair of old worn-out goggles, showing signs of age and use. And lastly- adding most shockingly was the drawn-out scar etched into the left of the man's face, covering over one eye.

Allowing for his mouth to drop open, Ace stuttered, his eyes completely widened.

It was him.

It was actually Sabo.

It couldn't be, he could just be another vision he was seeing. But...

No. This seemed different, it felt too real. The man in front of him was close to his age, not the young Sabo he knew all those years ago.

Sabo-  _his brother._ The one he thought he lost ten years ago.  _He was alive this whole time?_

Letting his eyes shadow over, the fire-thrower clenched his fist; his arms tensing up. "After all these years," Ace barely whispered out, though his words were full and more serious than before.

"...After all these years,  _you were alive_."

Sabo stepped back slightly, his eyes narrowed showing apprehension towards Ace. "What?" He questioned, his tone deepening slightly as well.

Keeping quiet, Ace took a step forward, raising his hand up edigily.

But before Sabo had any time to react, the fire-thrower had striked his fist into the blonde's face harshly, sending the revolutionary backwards and crashing into the opposite wall.

* * *

Haruta was frantic.

Before her and Vista's eyes, Ace had disappeared into a piled mountain of debris, leaving nothing but shuddering echo behind.

Without saying a word, the Whitebeard Commander raced over to where the wall had collapsed, Vista quickly following her behind. Banging her fists onto the nearest blunt object with determination, the brunette let out a shout; her voice almost timid. "Ace! Ace?!" Hearing no response, Haruta punched the rock once more, her teeth gritting. "Damn it you idiot!" Turning back to her companion, Haruta eyes widened with fury, her lower lip wobbling.

"Why didn't you stop him?!"

Blinking, the top-hatted Commander stared at Haruta with confusion, before tilting his head slightly. "Stop him?"

"From doing something stupid like, like that!" Her words becoming breathless, Haruta knelt to the ground. Placing a hand on her forehead, the Whitebeard Commander closed her eyes, letting a small sigh part from her lips. "...We _just_  got him back."

Seeing the pirate's distress, Vista made his way beside Haruta, his briefly looking at the wreckage. "He'll be fine." He said with slight apprehension, which was quickly recognized by the brunette.

"Fine?! You saw it Vista! The whole wall just freaking collapsed on him! And who knows what injuries he has from," Her words cutting off almost instantly, Haruta shook her head; her eyes glazing over for a split second. "... _that day_. And what do we even say to Marco and the others about this?!-"

Interrupting her words, Vista grabbed the brunette roughly, his eyebrows furrowed. "Believe me. Even if all the wall collapsed on him or he had injuries from back then, I'm sure he's fine."

Raising an eyebrow, Haurta tilted her head slighting to the side; her eyes narrowing for a second. "W-what makes you so sure of that?"

Shuffling to the side, the top-hatted commander took his hand gently off the brunette's shoulder before staring her straight in the eye. "When I first 'found' Ace, he wasn't just standing around. I watched him  _fall_ off the colossuem Haruta. He fell head first onto the ground without any help and he  _walked away from it-_ no medical attention needed."

Her eyes widening in the slightest bit of disbelief, the Whitebeard Commander swallowed, her voice questioning. "He  _fell_?"

"Went flat out unconscious as soon as he hit earth. Believe me, when I walked over to see what the commotion was all about I wasn't expecting to see the face of the victim to be his." Vista said with some humor in his voice as he crossed his arms.

Furrowing her eyebrows, Haruta closed her eyes once more, before placing her hands on her hips. "That still doesn't change the fact he still might be stuck in that," Gesturing towards the rubble, the brunette peeked one eye open. "...wreckage."

Leaning to the side slightly to take in the depth of the wreckage, Vista's eyes widened, before looking back to Haruta blankly. "You don't expect just  _us_ to go through it, do you? That's impossible."

"Well what else can we do?" Throwing her hands in the air, Haruta turned and walked swiftly towards the wreckage, taking a hold of one of the boulders. "Go back to the ship and say 'Oh guys! We found Ace alive- yes that Ace, but he accidentally got crushed by hundreds of fifty ton boulders all at once so there's a high chance he's not alive anymore. Can you help us find his remains?' Yeah. That will go down smoothly." Sending the top-hatted Commander a pissed off look, the swordswoman tried to move the boulder slightly, though her efforts visibly failed.

Watching the girl desperately trying to move the rock, Vista sighed, walking over to her with a toned down voice. "It's not going to work. And who said about looking for his remains?"

Ignoring the last part of his comment, Haruta glared once more at the swordsman before trying to push the boulder aside once more. "Are you going to help me or what?"

Glancing to the side, Vista nodded, his eyes visibly faded from thoughts. Shaking them away, the swordsman held his hands out towards the boulder, gathering all his strength to push it by slightly. Grunting, Vista twitched, not realizing the weight of the rubble which had finally stopped falling. Trying once more (though he knew it would do no good), the top-hatted Commander breathed out heavily, stepping back to glance at Haruta.

"As I said. It's not going to work."

Huffing, the brunette turned away from her companion, brushing her palms off with a glum pout. "We'll just have to get the others then. Who knows how we'll persuade them..." She muttered, her voice echoing in the space they were in.

It was then that an important fact occurred to the duo, causing for the swordsman to stutter.

"H-Haruta?"

"What?" The Commander replied almost instantly, her arms crossed over.

Glancing up, the top-hatted pirate pointed towards the ceiling, his face completely blank.

"...How do  _we_  get out of here?"

* * *

"They left."

"Eh?" Blinking, Usopp let out a small noise from his lips, his head tilting in confusion.

The small dwarf nodded in return, his arms crossed over his chest proudly as he relayed the information to the long-nosed pirate. "Yes! I saw them leave myself. The kind threatening woman and the moody swordsman left with a clown soon after they arrived."

"..." Hearing the words leave the small dwarfs lips, Usopp stared blankly at the little man. "...Eh?"

"..."

"..."

"EH?!" Jumping up from where he was sitting, the sharpshooter turned to look everywhere; searching for the sight of Zoro or Robin. "They..." He started, his hands falling over his ears. "They left without me?!" He cried out, his mouth falling open in shock.

"That's right Mister. They left almost an hour ago." The dwarf pointed out bluntly, causing for Usopp to cry out in shock again.

"How did I miss them?! They were right there!" Pointing towards the  _now_ empty spot in which the swordsman was previously sitting, the long-nosed pirate deflated, hitting the floor with a moan. "And what's with taking the clown and not me? Do they not realize how much of a benefit I will bring if they brought me along?" Mumbling to himself on the grass, Usopp flattened out, before his head peeked up from the ground.

"Wait, did you say they went with a  _clown_?"

"That's correct."

"..." Narrowing his eyes in thought, Usopp found himself tilting his head to the side once more, his eyes scrolling up in confusion. "Robin and Zoro," The dwarf nodded. "...Were with a clown?"

"Mhm!"

Twitching at the dwarf's positivity, Usopp jumped up from the ground, picking up the tiny dwarf with him.

"Hey! You can't pick us up like tha-"

"Show me which way they went." Usopp interrupted, his voice tinted with seriousness unlike before.

Blinking, the dwarf stopped squirming in his arms, tilting it's head slightly before pointing towards a shadowed tunnel confusedly. "They went that way... but why would you want to go with them? They sounded like they were going towards danger."

Twitch.

"Don't you worry!" The long-nosed pirate exclaimed, laughing as he took a step towards the tunnel. Pointing a thumb towards himself, Usopp winked at the young dwarf, a fake and confident voice leaving his lips. "I'll be sure to make Zoro commit to protecting us if any danger comes our way!" Letting out an over-confident laugh, the sharpshooter started to run down the tunnel, the dwarf staring at him in awe.

"Woah! That's so brave of you Mister!"

"I know, I know." Usopp nodded in return, his lips parting into a smile. "Though..." Narrowing his eyebrows, the long-nosed pirate halted in his steps slowly, speaking out his thoughts in the echoing tunnel. "I wonder what made them leave so suddenly."

Lifting up his hand, the dwarf waved excitedly in the air, now ignoring the fact he was stuck in the sharpshooter's fingers. "Oo! I know, I know! Maybe they were going off to fight some evil dragon and needed you to step in and slay it!"

Twitch.

"Don't say stuff like that!" Usopp shouted out, his knees shaking as he started to run once more.

"It could even be coming after us right now!" The dwarf exclaimed a little  _too_ excitedly, it's eyes slowly turning into stars.

Twitch.

Before Usopp could get another word in, a booming sound echoed loudly before them, the source coming from further inside the tunnel. Yelping, the long-nosed pirate shuddered, halting in his steps entirely as he stumbled back, his words stuttering. "W-what was t-that?"

"The dragon!"

Instantly looking towards the dwarf, Usopp stared blankly for a second, before registering what the little man had said. Letting out a small scream, the long-nosed pirate took another step back, before shaking his head fiercely.

"Zoro and Robin wouldn't need a clown to fight a dragon. Zoro and Robin wouldn't need a clown to fight a dragon. There is no dragon. N-no dragon in the tunnels. Nope." Repeating these words, Usopp edgily started to make his way further down the tunnel once more, his body shaking entirely.

"..."

"Wait. Why would Zoro and Robin need a clown in the first place?"

"Maybe to sacrifice it to the dragon!"

"..."

"..."

Twitch.

* * *

Watching as the stones fell slowly from the now crumbled wall, Ace twitched; his eyes widening as he glanced down at his hands. "Wha-?" He mumbled out, realizing what he had just done.

" _...He deserved it_." The Voice seemed to justify, though Ace took no note to it.

He had just  _punched_ Sabo.

"Sabo!" Running almost instantly over to where he'd thrown his brother, Ace staggered, watching as a pissed off revolutionary appeared from the wreckage; his eyes glaring.

* * *

The blonde had been polite to the man, and what had he gotten in return?

A punch.

_Right in the face._

Brushing off the debris with his gloves, the revolutionary ruffled his hair before speaking in a slightly confused and dangerous tone. "What the  _hell_ was that for?" He asked, his use of language changing from his normal polite standards.

"I..." The man started, his words failing him.

Narrowing his eyes, Sabo seemed to take charge of the conversation, his hand slowly trailing up to Ace's head. "Very well. It's your turn." He stated, surprising the ex-Commander from his mumbles. "After all, I think it's only fair that I know your identity as well. Seeing as we 'know' each other somehow."

Shifting slightly, the man stared at the blonde with surprise, before taking a step forward. Seeing this, the revolutionary wavered his hand over the staff strapped to his back, not taking his eyes off the fire-thrower.

But to his surprise, the man didn't go forward to punch him again; instead, he did something completely un-expected.

He  _hugged_ him.

Not just briefly or half-heartedly either, for the man gripped the blonde's back harshly- burrowing his face into the revolutionaries shoulder.

Not knowing how to react to this, Sabo's eyes widened considerably; his eyebrows knotting together in confusion. Glancing down to the hooded man who was now  _shaking?_ \- on his shoulder, the blonde tilted his head, slightly shaking the man to get his attention.

"Oi..." Sabo whispered surprisingly quietly, giving the man another nudge.

Still clutching lightly onto the blonde's back, the man let out a mumble; though Sabo heard the heaviness of the words. "It's been so long. I didn't even think-  _neither_  of us thought you'd still be alive!" Catching his words multiple times, the man gritted his teeth. "...But here you are."

Silence edged the room after the man stopped speaking, Sabo still 'stuck' in the man's embrace.

He could of asked what the stranger had meant by 'neither of us'.

He could of even demanded that the man explain why he was even hugging him.

But instead, he did something completely different.

Shifting out of the spot where Sabo and the man had been standing, the revolutionary pushed the other back; swiftly grabbing a hold of the stranger's hood before he could react.

Ignoring the man's yelp of surprise, Sabo yanked the hood back- allowing for his gaze to land on the face of the stranger.

Taking in a sharp breath, the blonde let go of the cloth; his feet stumbling backwards almost instantly. With his pupils widened in under a second, Sabo opened his mouth to form words though easily failed.

/ _"Hey!?- Sabo!" An out-of-breath voice called out to him, it's tone slightly pissed off. Though instead of this making Sabo frown, it made him form a smile, a cheerful laugh following._

_"You haven't lost me already, have you?" He called back, clearly imagining the twitch the other would give off. As expected, the far off voice huffed moodily, giving the blonde another reason to laugh._

_"You were the one that got lost idiot! I was following close behind!" /_

...It was impossible.

/  _Sensing the other coming closer to him, Sabo hid behind the nearest tree, placing his hand over his mouth to stop his laughter giving him away. "Sure, sure." He agreed, watching as the leaves near him started to ruffle._ _/_

...H-his face.

/  _"This is stupid." The other mumbled, the blonde watching as he crossed his arms over one another. "What kind of idiot keeps a hidden base in the middle of the forest like this anyway?"  
_

_Pulling a bored face, Sabo sighed. "You have no right to say that- you can't even find it."_

_"Sh-Shut up!" The other retorted, balling his hands into fists. Stamping harshly onto the foliage on the floor, the other look around everywhere, his eyes narrowing._

_Seeing this, the blonde grinned, getting pleasure out of seeing the other confused. "Pssh-!" Letting out a small giggle, Sabo clasped his hands over his mouth once more, his body shaking as he tried to keep the laughter in._

_"Where are you Sabo?! I know you're here!" The other exclaimed irritably, his eyes scanning the area with gritted teeth. /_

It was one he'd been wishing to see ever since he'd departed his hometown twelve years ago.

/  _"What are you talking about Ace-" The blonde paused, letting out a deep breath. "-I'm right here!" /_

...One that he completely yearned for after hearing the news of his death.

/  _"Aha!" Ace smirked sneakily, whipping out his staff as he threw it to where the blonde was hiding. Hearing the dull 'bonk' sound from his friends head, the freckled boy crossed his arms proudly. "I couldn't find anything, huh?" He questioned with sarcasm, earning a pout from the blonde.  
_

_Rubbing his head, Sabo sighed, lifting one arm up in defeat. "You're no fun."_

_Letting another small huff, Ace shook his head; before his eyes lightened up with amazement. "No way."_

_"Huh?" The blonde mumbled, turning around to look towards where the freckled boys' interest was caught. Seeing the 'interest', Sabo grinned. Picking up his feet once more, the toothy boy ran towards the area, his grin widening as he heard the other follow him._

_"See! I told you." He yelled out, halting in his steps as stared eagerly at the site._

_Stopping beside him, Ace let out a deep breath, nodding slightly to himself. "This is it Sabo. We'll start here."_

_"Hm?" The blonde mumbled, his eyebrows raising._

_"We'll make it out there one day..." He started, his pupils become blurry with thought. /_

"A-Ace?" Sabo questioned mostly to himself, his voice etched with disbelief.

/  _"We will escape this island, escape this sea!" The freckled boy yelled out, making the blonde step back in surprise._

_"What?" The blonde exclaimed, not expecting the sudden declaration._

_"Become pirates Sabo!" Gripping his fingers together, Ace looked other to the blonde with commitment, his eyes seemingly heavy with thought. "This is where it'll start."_

_Letting a deep sigh escape from his lips, Sabo crossed his arms, giving Ace a curious look. "And how will that happen exactly. If you hadn't noticed, setting out to sea now wouldn't be the cleverest of idea's, would it?"  
_

_Twitching, the freckled boy turned away from the blonde, his eyes narrowed. "Then we'll save up. Until then, we'll gather everything we need to set sail."_

_"Wait. You're actually being serious?" Sabo muttered in surprise, his eyes widened._

_Turning his face to meet Sabo's, Ace nodded, his fists clenching once more. "Just you and me Sabo. We'll make it out there, I know it."_

_Staring into the boy's face for what seemed like an eternity, Sabo sighed for the fifteenth time that day. "Well, haven't you changed your tune since last week." Ignoring the responding pissed-off huff, Sabo smiled; giving Ace an excited laugh. "But you know what. I don't exactly mind that idea... Ace."_

_Raising his eyebrows, the freckled boy seemed almost surprised by the quickness of agreement his friend gave him. Turning away to hide his small smile, Ace glanced towards the 'hidden' base they'd finally found, earning another brief grin from the blonde. /_

Hearing the others voice, Ace looked up towards his brother, his lips parted with a genuine smile. "It's been a while, Sabo."


	23. Chapter 23

As a bullet passed millimetres away his ear, Zoro frowned; sending another attack towards the on-coming marines.

To say that the swordsman was surprised at the sheer numbers of marines that came battling towards him would be an understatement. Not that he wasn't surprised they would be here, after-all. The Supernova that runs this island had just resigned. If that hadn't peeked the Marine's interest, he didn't know what would.

Glancing towards Robin, Zoro narrowed his eyes in thought, easily dodging another bullet aimed for his head.

"Oi." He called out, his voice barely making it's way through the battle to the archaeologist.

Luckily catching his shout, Robin raised her eyebrows; her head instantly twisting to where the swordsman was standing.

"We can't stay here any longer." He stated, blocking two swords swiftly. "Not if we want to find Luffy."

Seemingly having the same thoughts, Robin nodded; silently agreeing with Zoro as she took in the surroundings. "We seemed to be surrounded." She said calmly, her arms crossing over into her attacking position.

"Yeah, I can see that!"

Turning around, the swordsman sighed, completely forgetting the screeching clown that had been accompanying them. "Can you spot any exit anywhere?"

Narrowing her eyes, Robin ducked; clutching her fingers together as she heard the familiar click of the enemy's backs echoing above her. Raising back up, the archeologist's eyes blinked, her head turning instantly towards Zoro.

"I'm sure I spotted a door in between those pillars over there when we first came here. I deemed them suspicious but..." Letting her words fade away in thought, Robin shook her head. "We don't has a choice now."

Taking that as the best option they had, Zoro nodded, turning towards Buggy as he yelled out to him. "Oi! We're going." Pointing towards Robin, Zoro followed after the archeologist, the screaming clown following close behind.

Hearing the commanding shouts of the Marines realizing their plan, Buggy twitched; his steps speeding up instantly as he tapped the swordsman on the shoulder. "Uh, guys. Did you think they'd just leave us alone?!"

Feeling a headache coming on, Zoro scowled; inching away from the clown and letting out a small growl. "Well, if you want to stay behind and fight them by yourself, you're welcome to."

Twitching once more, Buggy shook his head ferociously, his grip slipping off Zoro's shoulder. "You know what? I'll just follow you guys."

Responding with a 'hpmh', Zoro looked ahead; finally spotting the door Robin was previously talking about.

Saying that it was suspicious didn't even cover it.

There was something about the door that instantly struck the swordsman as interesting; or more abruptly to put it- it was the  _aura_ around the door that silently told him to stay away.

But, it wasn't like he had any other choice. With the screaming Marines practically centimeters away from attacking them, the only way of finding there currently missing captain was to go through the door.

Interrupting the swordsmans thoughts, a cry screamed out behind him, a followed by a familiar clown appearing in two pieces; a sword placed in the middle of him.

Noticing his distractions had slowed him down, Zoro pushed the two-piece clown to the side, raising his sword to the Marine who was now standing inches away from him.

Spotting this, Robin halted in her steps, instantly turning round; her eyes widening. They had multiplied. The amount of Marines before them had grew despite the earlier backfire. Even with Zoro by her side, it was hard to tell whether or not they would even make it to the  _door_ in time.

Watching the Marine fall beside him, Zoro glanced back to Robin; his eyes silently telling her he was thinking the same thing. Yelling at the top of his voice, the swords-man kicked the recovering Buggy towards Robin, before facing the crowd of Marines. "Go ahead, I'll catch you up!"

"Are you su-"

Before the archeologist had time to respond, Zoro spoke up again; slowly dragging both swords beside him. "If you stay here we won't find Luffy." He stated sharply, not having time to explain his actions any further.

Taking the hint, Robin nodded, helping up the complaining clown in front of her and running back towards the door.

Even though the swordsman didn't vocally say he was worried, Robin knew he was. Even though it was common for their captain to vanish un-expectedly at times and re-appear totally un-fased, with the way the fight was going earlier; the archeologist knew something bad had or was about to happen.

Clenching her fists, she continued on; ignoring the shouts and cries of the Marines behind her.

"Be-careful, swordsman-san." She uttered out, before pushing the door gently open.

* * *

Voices.

There was definitely a lot of them, in the secluded little tunnel Usopp had found himself in.

Some were happy, some were scared, and some were-  _well._  Some had got the long-nosed liar yelping in fright.

But  _still,_ Usopp had continued on walking; despite how many times he'd wanted to turn around and run back. After-all, his nakama was somewhere in here, for some unbeknown reason.

It wasn't until the small gnome in his hand had spoke up, that he had realized he'd walked the length of the tunnel repeatedly; passing the same rockfall twice.

Falling to the floor in despair, Usopp sighed; clinging to the jagged piece of wall like it was his life-line. "We're never going to get out of here." He whispered in a dramatic tone, his eyes scrolling over towards the gnomes. "Robin and Zoro must have disappeared into thin air."

"You're giving up already?" The gnome questioned back, hopping down from Usopp's shoulder with a 'umph'. "But I thought you were the great Usopp-land!"

Seemingly getting all his energy back within a second, Usopp bounced up from the ground with a grin; placing both hands on his hips as he proclaimed proudly to the small gnome. "Of course not!" Lifting up one of his hands to point to himself, he chuckled. "Usopp-land never gives up on anything, whether it be conquering islands or facing... ugh.  _Dragons_." His voice shaking at the last part, the long-nosed liar sighed, slowly making his way over to a boulder. "But still..."

Tilting his head to the side, the gnomes eyes furrowed. "What is it?"

Sitting down onto the rock, Usopp narrowed his eyes, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "It does worry me that I haven't heard from the others by now. After all, something must of happened for Zoro and Robin to leave so quickly." Mumbling, the liar found himself sighing again; holding on hand up to his chin.

Shaking his head, Usopp looked back towards the gnome. "Oh well. As long as the plan went right, I guess there's nothing to worry about."

Not getting one bit of the humans words, the gnome nodded blankly; before stating loudly. "But how does that help us  _now_?"

Sweat-dropping, the long-nosed pirate leaned back, ignoring the sudden cracks the wall behind him started to echo from his weight. "It's 'kinda obvious that no-one else is down here." His tone tinted with sulking, Usopp crossed his hands over his chest; looking sheepishly to the side.

_Crack._

"Then where did Zoro-land and Robin-land go?"

_Crack._

Twitching, Usopp flung his hands to his head in frustration. "We've checked everywhere! Who knows where they are- or even where the  _clown_ had taken them!"

_Crack._

"You think the clown took them somewhere?" The gnome questioned with a tint of curiosity, his head tilting even further.

_Crack._

"Well..." Usopp started, his eyes narrowing once more as he dramatically took on the detective role. "I can't think of any reason they would be with a clown in the first place. Believe me, if anyone was to have a clown with them it certainly wouldn't be Robin and Zoro. They're just not just that  _kind_ of people."

_Crack._

"Oh well." Flinging his arms down to the side, the long-nose liar seemed to admit defeat, shutting his eyes as he leaned further back onto the  _caving in?_ \- wall. "It's best not to question things like tha-!"

Suddenly, interrupting his words drastically, the wall behind the pirate crashed down; leaving Usopp to fall back as rocks that had previously been part of the wall rained down on him.

Briefly hearing the concerned shouts of the gnome, Usopp groaned, wincing his eyes open to gather what had happened.

"Wha- tha?" He mumbled out, rubbing his head as his vision blurred.

" _Wh- hell- this?_ "

Different voices mixed up into his vision, a sudden shadow of a person looming over him. "-Zoro?" He barely whispered out, the words leaving his mouth muffled.

" _What- say?_ "

Taking up the left side of his view, another person leaned over him; this time a much smaller figure.

" _O-Oi, don't- sleep...shit- injured!_ "

Beyond his will, Usopp began to close his eyes; the pain in his head slowly going away.

Yeah, a sleep right now would definitely do him good. Then, he'll be sure to find his crewmates.

* * *

_"It's been a while, Sabo."_

Leaning back against the wall, Robin furrowed her eyebrows.

 _So there was someone in here._  Placing a hand firmly over Buggy's mouth, the archeologist placed a finger on her mouth; silently telling the clown to stay quiet. Nodding in response, the clown backed away; also placing his ear on the wall to listen in.

_"B-but...-!"_

_Make that two people._ Robin thought, her fists clenching. She was sure she'd heard the second man's voice before  _somewhere_. Where she'd heard it had escaped her.

Though the name Sabo had certainly rung a bell.

But there was no way the second man was called 'Sabo'. Though the Sabo she knew would never sound so-  _well_. She couldn't put into words how the second man had sounded.

 _"I know, I'm.."_ The first man had spoke again, his words fading.

His eyes widening, Buggy leaned in closer to Robin; his words whispered in a surprised tone. "Hey, that's-!" Before the clown had time to finish, Robin had placed her hand over his mouth again, shaking her head.

They needed to be a quiet as possible. That is until she can figure out who the people behind the wall were.

 _"H-how are you even alive?! I mean, e-even I saw..."_ His words tumbling over themselves, the second man stuttered uncontrollably, a easily audible gulp being heard through the wall.

_"...I don't know, Sabo. I-"_

_So the second man is called Sabo_. With her mouth curving downwards into a frown, Robin leaned in further; her eyes narrowing by the second.

 _"D-Does that mean you've been alive all this time?!"_ 'Sabo' screamed out, Robin tensing from the aura the conversation was giving off. Though, 'Sabo' didn't seem to be angry.

...No. It was something else entirely.

 _"..."_ There didn't seem to be a response, just heavy breathing.

Then, silence.

Robin didn't know what to do, all thoughts seemed to escape her. Glancing down to the clown, she raised an eyebrow; noticing the scared look on his face for the first time. Whispering out a small " _What is it?_ ", she was met with a hand hastily pointing towards the wall.

"H-He's there." Buggy whispered but with a stutter.

"Who is?" She questioned back, curiosity getting the better of her.

Before the clown could answer, a ragged yell sounded loudly from the door; alerting the two figures behind the wall as-well as Robin and Buggy. Stumbling into view was the breathless swordsman, his eye widened at a sight the archeologist and clown hadn't seen yet.

He was looking at the other side of the wall.

Before she could question why he had come tumbling through the door, the swordsman stepped back, his face tinted in bewilderment. "You're..." He slowly muttered, his eye slowly narrowing. "So I guess Buggy wasn't lying then."

Instead of questioning what he had meant by that, Robin chose to step out from behind the wall, only for her own eyes to widen at the sight of a figure standing on the far side of the room.

The figure's face was one that she'd seen and heard about for the past two years; one that would constantly remind her of how she had once failed her captain.

It was a face that she wished she could bring back for the sake of her captain, after seeing how much he'd changed over two years.

It was a face that before today, she'd thought she'd never see.

The face of her captains deceased older brother.


	24. Chapter 24

Light.

It was something which the trio of wanderers found glorious after stumbling about in the tunnels of Dressrosa for what seemed like days. Whereas in fact, it had been two hours.

Twitching, Marco blinked; his eyes focused on the steps before him. "Oi." He muttered out, eying the brunette who had been leading the group. "Weren't we just underground?"

Turning her head, Koala stared at the man, her eyebrows almost narrowing. "Yes, we were."

Feeling another twitch coming on, the blonde sighed; pointing towards the stairs with tired look. "Last time I checked, stairs that go up are not usually found  _underground_. In fact, it would  _really_  help if you told us where we were going."

Smirking, Koala simply shrugged her shoulders. Watching as she took her first step up the stairs, Marco gritted his teeth, his fists clenching. "How long do we have to keep following yo-"

"Are you a pirate?"

Interrupting his words was a much more childish voice which could quickly be recognized as the straw-hatted teen, who completed the trio.

With a lighter smile spreading across her lips, Koala tilted her head; seemingly thinking to herself. "Ah. I never told you did I."

"Oi."

Tilting is head in union, Luffy pouted; following the brunette up the stairs. "Tell us what?"

"...Are you even listening to me?"

Giggling with an innocent tune, Koala hummed as she threw both her hands behind her back, crossing her fingers over tightly. "Oh I don't know whether I should say...After all. I could get in a lot of trouble for telling you."

"..." Letting out a deep breath, Marco sighed; placing his palm on his head.

Those idiots were ignoring him.

_Though..._

Watching as the rubber-teen threw his hands in the air, the blonde found himself smiling; his eyes fixed on the two younger 'idiots'. Letting out a small muffled laugh quietly between his lips, the blonde reached into his pocket; his eyes almost glazed over.

**/**

_"Oi, Marco!"_

_Glancing his eyes over to where the call sounded, the blonde sighed; his eyes automatically narrowing towards the brunette. "What is it now, Thatch?"_

_An almost wild grin instantly crossed the cook's lips as he made is way over to the blonde, latching onto the ships' rail with a chuckle. "You have to admit it, I'm a genius."_

_Blinking, Marco continued to stare at Thatch; his eyebrow raising in confusion. "You. A genius?"_

_Chuckling once more, the brunette placed a hand on his chest, dramatically nodding his head in agreement. "Yep!"_

_Blankly staring at the other, the blonde sighed once more; a groaning voice echoing from his lips. "What have you done now."_

_"You should trust me a bit more, Marco. And who says I did anything?"_

_"No-one. But just by looking at your eyes I know you've done something which will end up with either me or you in trouble."  
_

_Sweat-dropping, Thatch lent over the side of the ship; a sigh falling out of his lips. "Am I really that see-through?"_

_Replying to his brother with a small nod, Marco narrowed his eyes, also finding himself leaning against the rail. "So what have you done this time?"_

_Grumbling slightly, the brunette shifted his eyes suspiciously towards the island they had docked at; then edgily towards Marco. "It wasn't just me..." Spouting a pout on his lips, the cook turned completely away from the blonde, causing for Marco to furrow his eyebrows._

_"So Ace is involved as well?"_

_Jumping at the name, Thatch stared at Marco with widened eyes before stepping back. "H-How did you know tha-"_

_"Instinct." Replying with a bored tone, the blonde gritted his teeth. "So what did you and Ace do this time?"_

_Blinking, Thatch's mind seemingly went blank; before his eyes lighted up to the same wicked glint they bared before. "You wouldn't believe what we... 'found' on the island."_

_Hearing a small chuckle echo from his lips in between his words, Marco narrowed his eyes; highly doubting that the two pirates legally found the item that his brother was talking about. "So, what is it?"_

_Flinging a hand into his pocket, Thatch smiled innocently towards the blonde; pulling a small object out into his hand. "This!"  
_

_Staring at the object, Marco blinked; his head almost tilting slightly._

_In his brothers hand layed a small stone. It wasn't anything significant to look at, other than the symbol etched on it looking vaguely similar. "What is it?"_

_"It's supposed to be this good luck thing-a-ma-jig that the locals worship for some reason." Thatch stated, his finger twirling the stone around in his hand. "They were guarding this little thing like crazy, so me and Ace thought it would be a good idea to-"_

_"-take it?" Finishing off his words, Marco sighed once again. "You don't even know what that thing is Thatch. For all we know, it could be cursed."_

_Hearing a small gulp echo from the brunette, the blonde took his eyes off the stone to stare at his brother, or was seemingly staring back with widened eyes. "C-cursed?"_

_Before Marco could reply to the brunette, a foreign hand wrapped around his next; another voice speaking into his ear._

_"Hey Marco! Did you see what me and Thatch found? It's pretty awesome, right."_

_Glancing to the side, the blonde found himself staring at the familiar sight of the freckled second-commander; a huge grin plastered on his face. "Yeah, Thatch showed me." He answered, a slight annoyed tone echoing through his voice. "You do know we'll have to give it back."_

_Blinking, the fire-thrower stepped back away from the blonde; his eyes startled. "What?! No way! I almost got shot by caveman for that thing."_

_"Caveman?"_

_"...The locals here are weird. Trust me."_

_Placing a hand on the rail, the blonde narrowed his eyes before glancing at the stone. "Why would you want it anyway?"_

_"Because."_

_"Because?"_

_Replying to the blonde with a small grin, Ace made his way over to the unusually quiet Thatch; his eyebrows raising. "Oi, what's wrong with him." Jerking his thumb towards the brunette, the freckled man tilted his head._

_"Hm? Oh, yeah. I might of told him that the stone was-"_

_"-it's cursed!" Suddenly bouncing back to life, Thatch screamed into Ace's ear; causing for the fire-thrower to jump back un-expectedly._

_"W-Wha?" Ace mumbled out, instantly turning towards Marco for answers._

_Suddenly getting an idea the blonde nodded. Watching as his brother's eyes widened in union, Marco let a small smirk creep across his mouth. "He's right. I heard that the stone was cursed whilst collecting supplies on the island."_

_"..." Hearing nothing but the shouts of their brothers in the background, Marco tried to hold in his laugh as he saw the brunette before him turn a light pale color; Ace not soon after.  
_

_"Here, you have it!" Flinging the stone from his hands to Ace's, Thatch ducked behind the blonde; watching as the fire-thrower's eyes doubled in size._

_"S-Shit! I don't want it!"_

_Throwing the stone back towards Thatch, the brunette yelped; moving Marco directly in front of him. Only for the stone to hit the blonde, right in the head._

_His eyes widening, Ace flung his hands up in the air; taking a step away from the suddenly glaring Marco._

_Hearing a small chuckle echo from behind him, the blonde felt his glare hardening. Kneeling down to pick up the stone, the blonde narrowed his eyes, taking the stone in his hand and holding it up towards the sun._

_Yelping, Thatch quickly scurried away from the blonde; making his way next to Ace. "O-oi. What're you doing?! That things cursed!"_

_Glancing back down towards his brothers, Marco smiled; slowly placing the stone in his pocket. "I'm going to keep it."_

_As if he'd announced he wanted to join the Marines, Ace and Thatch stared widely at the blonde, their mouths slightly agape._

_Stepping forward slightly, Ace stuttered; his eyes directly on the pocket which contained the stone. "You want to keep a cursed stone?" With his eyebrows raising, the fire-thrower looked up to face the blonde._

_Nodding, Marco let out a small chuckle; causing for the other two to step back in union._

_Ace muttered out, shaking his head."He's gone crazy."_

_Clutching the blondes shoulder's with one hand, Thatch waved his palm in front of Marco rapidly; his eyes wild. "How many fingers am I holding up?- he's not answering Ace! Something's wrong!"_

_"Don't! If you touch him you'll be cursed too!"_

_"What?!"_

_Watching as the brunette rushed back to the fire-thrower's side, Marco's small smile was still perched on his lips._

_As annoying as his family could be, he'd do anything to keep their minds at ease; even if it was from something he'd made up._

_After-all, he didn't need any more good luck. He was happy where he was right there._

_"H-he's not responding still!"_

_"It's the stone!"_

_"Marco, you have to listen to me. Don't let the stone control you- you're stronger than this!"_

_...Even if it meant he was surrounded by idiots._

**_/_ **

Lifting the object out of his pocket, Marco's smiled faded slightly; staring at the small stone in his hand.

"Oi, Pineapple!"

Blinking, the blonde took his attention away from the stone, realizing that at the top of the stairs stood both Koala and Luffy; staring at him expectedly.

Uttering out a small "huh?", the blonde blinked; realizing he was still at the bottom of the stairs.

"Are you coming with us?" The rubber-teen asked almost bluntly, his head tilting slightly.

"..." Clutching the stone tightly, Marco sighed; allowing for the previous small smile to creep its way onto his lips again. Dropping the stone back in his pocket, the blonde nodded; placing his foot on the first step. "Yeah." He answered quietly, though it was heard by the other two.

"Then don't take so long." Koala muttered out, turning her back to the blonde once again with a smirk on her face.

Nodding to the brunette's comment with a grin, Luffy stretched his arm out; grabbing the collar of Marco's shirt. Before the blonde had a chance to register what the rubber-teen was about to do, he was zapped from his place; almost instantly at the feet of the duo.

"You'll get lost if you just stand there with a funny look on your face!" Luffy stated, letting go of the blonde's shirt.

Wincing, Marco straightened himself off the floor; yet another sigh escaping his lips _.  
_

No matter where he went, he would always be surrounded by idiots.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

"It's been a while, Sabo."

Hearing the words leave his brothers mouth, Sabo found himself at a loss for words; feeling his heart starting to race from underneath the cloak.

It was him, not some look-a-like or impersonator; but actually Ace.

"B-but..." But that was impossible. Ace had  _died_ two years ago, in front of many spectators- one being his own younger brother. Heck! The whole world had heard of the deaths of Ace and Whitebeard. So how-?

Silently understanding the blonde's confusion, Ace stepped back; his movement bringing Sabo out of his thoughts and into reality. "I know, I'm..." The freckled man started, his voice softer than normal.

Interrupting Ace before he had a chance to finish his sentence, Sabo threw his hands out to his side; his whole body still in shock. "H-How are you even alive?! I mean..." Swallowing to regain his breaths, the blonde stared into his brothers eyes; guilt swimming in his own. "...e-even I saw. I saw your picture, in the newspaper. You were dead."

Seeing his brother twitch, the blonde watched as the freckled man scrunched up his hands; a un-knowing look passing through his eyes. "I know, I don't understand either."

Staring at the man with disbelief, Sabo stumbled back slightly; his whole body shaking.

Something wasn't right, something  _couldn't_ be right! There had to be something behind this that wasn't his deceased brother standing in front of him.

B-But, if it was-

Had he somehow survived the hit that seemingly killed him? Had some doctor cured him for a missing piece of his chest, or had the Whitebeard Crew kept Ace a secret up until now?

Yes, there were many,  _many_  possibilities.

So it was okay to believe him, to believe that Ace was really alive before him.

He needed to investigate more,  _needed to silence the logical side that was screaming at him that this wasn't real._

"Does that mean you've been alive this whole time?" Sabo almost whispered out, his heart still racing.

Though his tone wasn't accusing in the slightest. Catching Ace's eye, Sabo stared at him; his pupils widened and fists clenched. Ace hadn't moved, his eyes still on Sabo's. Though something in his eyes told the blonde there was more to it than that, than Ace just being cured or kept away.

Though it was a look that Sabo had yearned for silently throughout the two years- ten years even.

Breaking the heavy silence, Ace began to mumble to himself; his eyes darting away from contact. "Well, not exactly…" He answered awkwardly, his breaths still short. "I-I don't know how I'm,  _well…_ here. I was in the ground and before I knew it I was sailing to this island where I found out where Luffy was, then I came here to find him." His breath still shaky and quiet, the freckled-man looked up to the blonde; his pupils still widened. "And then there's you…"

Feeling his stomach drop, Sabo glanced away; his eyes glazing over.

That was going to be one story he wasn't looking forward to telling.

"It's, just. It's a long story." Ace finally breathed out, his shoulders shrugging over in defeat.

Taking his eyes off the ground, Sabo stared at his brother's figure; blinking to make sure what he was seeing was real. Feeling a streak of water fall from his eyes, the blonde looked down; a small smile spreading across his lips.

 _That_  his brother was back, and it didn't matter how.

Having just that was enough for him.

"You still owe me an explanation later." Sabo stated with a smirk, his voice finally returning back to its normal tone.

Blinking, Ace nodded; a smirk spreading on his own lips. "Same here."

Before the blonde had a chance to respond, a foreign voice echoed through the room; quickly catching the attention of the brothers as they stared at the green-haired man who looked at a loss of words.

"You're..." Was finally what the man had said after an awkward couple of seconds, his eye directly staring at Ace.

Feeling suddenly defensive, Sabo stepped back; his arm hovering over the vacant spot where his staff previously was. Spotting it at the other side of the room, the blonde twitched, looking back towards the man before realizing there was more than one person in the room.

It was a familiar feeling, which confused the blonde even more.

Glancing over to Ace, Sabo saw the same look on his brother's face, though this one was directed right at the man. Whispering under his breath, the blonde etched slightly closer to the other, his voice hushed. "You know him?"

With his eyes darting between the blonde and the figure, Ace nodded. "Y-yeah. He's Luffy's-"

"So I guess Buggy wasn't lying then." Interrupting the fire-thrower, the green-haired man sighed, seemingly looking to the side towards something.

Twitching, Ace groaned; his body leaning over slightly in defeat. "That idiot already blabbed on me." Looking back up, the fire-thrower glanced angrily to the side for a split second, before re-attaching his attention to the man.

Ignoring Ace's statement , Sabo narrowed his eyes; looking towards to wall where the man was previously staring. The blonde called out, his face stretching out into a frown. "I know you two are there."

Hearing a small yelp squeak out from behind the wall, it wasn't long before a clown fell out to the side; causing Ace to raise his eyebrows. "Buggy?" He questioned out loud, causing for the clown to yelp once more and point to the freckled man with fright.

"S-See! I told you!" He whined out, looking towards the green-haired man as he gestured towards Ace. "It's his g-ghost!"

Glancing instantly over to the 'ghost', Sabo narrowed his eyebrows; seemingly not thinking of that before. Twitching again, Ace looked directly at the blonde, before his eyes widening.

"I'm not a ghost!"

"...Are you sure?" The blonde found himself asking, his eyes suspicious of the other.

Blinking, the fire-thrower seemingly thought for a second, before looking back towards the blonde with a small pout. "I don't think so."

A small chuckle escaping his lips, Sabo smiled; his head shaking. "You don't know whether you're a ghost or not."

Replying to the blonde with nothing but a small smirk, Ace looked back towards the staring swordsman, before another voice hit the room; this time, a woman's.

"My, my. What a situation we have found ourselves in swordsman-san."

His eyes widening, the blonde stared at the woman he had known all but a year ago, a smile meeting his gaze.

"It's a pleasure to meet you again, Sabo-san."


	25. Chapter 25

There was a commotion.

And it was a big one, from what he could muster.

Trying his best to lock his ears onto the voices around him, the man winced; a sharp breath instantly leaving his mouth.

"..." Glancing down to his chest, the man closed his eyes once more, a small frown etching on his lips. For  _now_ , he was useless. As much as he had tried, he couldn't move a muscle; something that came to annoy the man as he sat motionless, the pain still crawling up his chest.

Ignoring the painful sensation for now, he decided to focus his ears on the voices once more, though little of the words he heard were audible.

Everything said near the man was blurred, the voices slowly changing into mumbles; then silence. All he could hear after that was the blood pumping through his veins, obviously agitated by the sudden wounds.

_Don't think about it._

He had to get out of here, it was getting closer to the meeting time he'd made with the others.

Mustering up the little energy he had, the man opened his eyes once more, his pupils glazed over with struggle. What he saw wasn't much of a picture, more like a puzzle; but it was the best he'd had.

It was obvious he was inside, and that there was another person in the room. Feeling his eyes drooping over again, the man parted his lips; before allowing for them to shut drearily.

_There was another person in the room with him._

For some reason, it didn't sit with the man right. He couldn't exactly remember what had happened prior to the events which led him to sitting in this room unconscious and undoubtedly in pain, but something inside of him clearly did.

One more glance, that's all he needed.

Wincing the eyes open for the last time, the man found himself staring at his arms; unknowingly realising the pressure he hadn't noticed on them before.

They were chained to the chair, something which he quickly found uncomfortable and restraining.

Rolling his eyes up, he instantly noted that the person who was previously standing at the far side of the room was no longer there. Instead, was a screen, a small hum echoing from it.

Straightening his neck, the man stared at the screen; watching as pictures appeared of people running away, most likely the civilians of where he was. What is was that they were running away from was unclear, other than a colossuem standing proudly in the background.

_So that was the commotion from before._

Drawing his lips into a frown, the man narrowed his eyes, his mind finally clearing. With the memories coming back slowly, the man tried to pull himself out of the chair; twitching as the chains held him in place.

Gritting his teeth, the man looked around, trying to find where the 'figure' had disappeared to.

It was then that the screen grabbed the attention of the man once again, showing a bounty poster of a teen; one that was wearing a straw-hat.

His eyes widening, the man stared into the screen, reading the letters shown as another bounty appeared on the screen.

**_PHOENIX, MARCO 750,000,000_ **

**_MONKEY D. LUFFY 400,000,000_ **

**WANTED ALIVE AT ALL COSTS**

* * *

Ace was in a complete mix of emotions- he didn't know what to feel.

Whether to feel happy, sad, frustrated, angry, or the most strongest emotion he was currently feeling-  _confusion_.

Of course he was happy, Sabo was in front of him! But then came the confusion of  _how_ he was in front of him because Sabo had died ten years ago. And to the look that Sabo was giving him, it was apparent that Ace should have died himself two years ago.

Which of course he couldn't deny, he was still going through the shock of being alive himself.

So what was he supposed to say to his brother who was expecting an explanation?

"Does that mean you've been alive this whole time?"

That question was repeating in his head endlessly in those few seconds of silence, unsure of what to say back to the blonde.

No. That should be the simple answer. But then again...

**/** _"Stop trying..." **/**_

A voice had been speaking to him throughout those two years in his grave, so it could be easily possible he  _was_ alive.

But that just brought more confusion to the fire-thrower.

" _Just answer something already!"_

Swallowing down all of his reasonable thoughts, Ace glanced away from Sabo's gaze; his own eyes staring directly at the floor. Mumbling out his words, the freckled-man inwardly sighed; taking a deep breath. "Well, not exactly..." He started, watching as Sabo twitched at his voice. "I-I don't know how I'm,  _well…_ here."

Feelings the Voice's stare on him harden, Ace gulped; shifting awkwardly to the side.

"I was in the ground and before I knew it I was sailing to this island where I found out where Luffy was… then I came here to find him."

_"...That sounds ridiculous."_

Twitching at the Voice's words, the fire-thrower inwardly sighed.

The best he could do was be honest. Confusion was screaming at him through every nerve, questions clouding his mind on the situation he had found himself in. There wasn't a better answer he could give- not one that Sabo wouldn't see through.

And then there was Sabo himself.

Glancing up to towards where the blonde stood, Ace breathed out heavily, a defeated tone echoing through his words. "And then there's you."

Visibly seeing the panic suddenly rush through his brother, Ace blinked; his eyes glazing over slightly.

As much as he wanted answers to his confusion, it just didn't seem to matter suddenly. He didn't need his answers now, not when he was staring at his long-dead brother.

Letting a faint laugh leave his lips, Ace smiled softly; feeling his shoulders drop of tension. "It's, just. It's a long story."

Watching his brother seemingly rummage through his thoughts, Ace held in his breath. To his surprise though, the blonde started to smirk; a familiar tone returning to his voice. "You still owe me an explanation later."

Instantly focusing all his mind on the 'later' part, Ace let out the breath he was seemingly holding; a smile creeping on his own lips as he nodded towards Sabo. "Same here."

Suddenly interrupting anymore of the fire-thrower's thoughts, was a different voice. Not one from 'the Voice' or Sabo, but one that was faintly familiar.

Turning his head instantly to meet with the face of the 'voice', Ace's eyes widened; his mouth slowly falling agape at the sight.

_...Oh shit._

"You're..." The man started, his eye staring  _directly_ into Ace's. Twitching at the sound, the fire-thrower gulped, quickly throwing Zoro,  _Lu's first-mate_  an awkward smile; one that was obviously not mirrored.

Hearing Sabo closely whisper to him, Ace jumped; glancing to towards the blonde. "You know him?"

Darting his eyes in between Sabo and Zoro, the fire-thrower nodded; his gaze still direct on the swordsman. "Y-yeah. He's Luffy's-"

Watching as the swordsman opened his mouth to speak, Ace found himself interrupted again; his words instantly cut off.

"So I guess Buggy wasn't lying then." Feeling the intensity of the stare from the green-haired swordsman become stronger, the ex-Commander almost missed the name of a certain  _clown_ being mentioned.

Twitching, a small groan escaped Ace's lips as he lent over in defeat. "That idiot already blabbed on me..." He muttered mostly to himself, though a familiar snort replied to his words.

_"I'm amazed that he didn't tell someone sooner._ _"_

Glaring for a split second at the Voice, the fire-thrower inwardly sighed; before re-detecting the stare that was echoing strongly from Zoro.

Briefly glancing to the side, Ace spotted Sabo staring intensely at wall, causing for the freckled-man to raise an eyebrow. Instantly breaking the silence, the blonde called out, equally surprising both Ace and Zoro.

"I know you two are there."

Raising an eyebrow, Ace began to open his mouth to question what his brother was on about, before a small yelp sounded from behind the wall; a  _familiar_ yelp. His eyes suddenly widening, the ex-Commander raised his eyebrows; stumbling out a call mainly to himself.

"Buggy?"

Appearing from behind the wall fell a yelping Buggy, his eyes also fixated on Ace as he pointed to the freckled-man dramatically. "S-see! I told you! It's his g-ghost!"

Twitching at the name, Ace glared at the clown; before feeling another stare on his back. Turning around, the fire-thrower saw Sabo glancing at him curiously, causing for him to stutter in his words. "I-I'm not a ghost!"

_"You wouldn't even realise if you were."_

Twitch.

"...Are you sure?"

The confusion was coming back. After-all, it  _could_ make sense. Ace didn't exactly know  _what_ he was. A dead-man walking? A zombie? A ghost wouldn't be that far-fetched to the freckled ex-Commander.

Blinking, the fire-thrower tilted his head; before staring back towards Sabo. "I don't think so."

Watching as brother chuckled at his reply, Ace found himself grinning again. Shaking his head, the blonde muttered under his breath. "You don't know whether you're a ghost or not."

Letting a small smirk etch onto his lips, the fire-thrower allowed a small chuckle escape his lips; earning himself a smile from the blonde.

"My, my."

With his smirk instantly falling, Ace blinked. Darting his pupils everywhere, the fire-thrower raised an eyebrow; only seeing Zoro and Buggy placed in front of him. Slowly glancing over to Sabo to make sure he was still there, Ace found his eyebrow raising further as he saw the blonde staring directly at the wall.

"What a situation we've found ourselves in swordsman-san."

This time, Ace noticed it too. The voice was coming from behind the wall.

Watching as a woman appeared from the side of the said-wall, the fire thrower narrowed his eyes; instantly recognizing her. Of course, he hadn't heard much about her other than her name and her history.

Nico Robin, a woman who was hunted down by the Marines simply for her existence- something the freckled-man could sadly relate to. He'd also heard rumors that Luffy 'acquired' her and had her join the crew; which knowing Luffy, was probably true.

However, what he wasn't expecting was Robin's next words, directed straight towards Sabo.

"It's a pleasure to meet you again, Sabo-san."

* * *

Everything was black.

Being unconscious had a familiar feeling to the long-nosed pirate. It was different from sleeping, it had more of a dream-like feel. After all, he could still hear the voices above him talking. He just couldn't put their words  _together._

That was until, one of the said voices flicked his nose; surprising the liar out from his 'sleep' and head first into a boulder.

"Ouch! That must of hurt." A female voice winced, her hand shaking in as she stared at the long-nosed pirate.

Letting out a yell, Usopp placed his hand over his seemingly broken nose; tears streaming down his face. Blinking, the man gasped, standing up almost instantly as he suddenly noticed the two people standing next to him.

"W-Who are you?!" He yelled out, still clutching his nose.

"Your saviors." The man joked, causing for the girl to let out a snort.

Stepping forward, the brunette waved her hand; a smirk placed on her lips. "Don't mind him, it would be best just to ignore him." Raising an eyebrow, Usopp automatically took a step back away from the woman. "I'm Haruta." She stated, before flinging a thumb behind her shoulder towards the man. "That's Vista over there, and you are?"

Staring at the two for a few seconds, Usopp lowered his hand from his nose; nodding towards the duo. "Usopp." His eyes suddenly glistening over, the long-nosed pirate stood suddenly proudly before the two; his previous demeanor instantly gone. "I am a traveler who has defeated many, and is currently on a quest to find a drag-OW!"

Standing in front of Usopp with a drawn face, Haruta pulled her finger away from the liar's nose; before passing him completely, seemingly looking through the rubble.

"Sh-she just flicked me again!" Usopp yelled out, pointing towards Haruta with a red-hinted nose and shark-teeth.

Not seemingly caring, the brunette continued to look through the rubble; before getting back up once more and looking to her colleague. "He's not here either." She whispered out, her tone completely different from before.

His eyebrow raising, Usopp tilted his head slightly; glancing at the rubble for a split second. "You're looking for someone?"

Walking beside him, Vista nodded; bringing a hand to the back of his head. "I doubt he'd be lying in a small amount of rubble Haruta. He'd obviously stand out a bit."

Pouting, Haruta glared at the swordsman; turning her back to him. "I wouldn't put it past him."

Sighing, Vista blinked; before his eyes widened. "Wouldn't it be better to check that?" Pointing, the swordsman gestured towards the previously unscathered tunnel lying behind the now broken wall.

Blinking, Usopp mumbled under his breath. "You guys didn't know it was there?"

Both simultaneously twitching at the same time, Haruta and Vista looked sheepishly to the side, causing Usopp to sweat-drop.

"Well we  _might_ of found it if that  _idiot_ didn't bring the whole freaking wall down on us!" Haruta screamed out, seemingly losing her mind; causing both Usopp and Vista to take a step back.

"H-How long have you two been here?" Usopp questioned, his voice almost a squeak.

"...Too long." Vista responded, turning towards Usopp with a faded eyes and a twitching smile.

Letting out a nervous smile, the long-nosed pirate backed away from the duo; his eyes landing on the tunnel. "You know what? I think I hear my friends calling me, so you know. I'll just... go."

Darting away, the long-nosed pirate yelped; and hand grasping his shoulder harshly.

"I don't think your friends' doing much calling." Vista stated, his hand patting Usopp's shoulder.

Blinking, Usopp's eyebrow raised questioningly as he looked towards the swordsman for answers. "U-Uh what do you mean?"

Hearing a small chuckle behind him, the long-nosed pirate turned around to face Haruta who was holding a small, passed-out gnome by her fingers. "This is your friend, right?"

His eyes widening, Usopp rushed over to the brunette; scooping his hands together as the little gnome fell onto his fingers. "I forgot all about him!"

Her eyebrows raising, Haruta glanced briefly between Vista and the long-nosed man. "Oh?" She muttered, placing her hands on her hips. "I thought you were just about to go out looking for him." Smirking as Usopp twitched beside her, Haruta made her way over to the opening of the tunnel; hesitantly peeking in.

"Oi, Vista." She called out, slowly turning her head to face him.

Raising his eyebrow in response, the swords-man started to walk towards the brunette; completely forgetting the long-nosed man accompanied by them.

Seeing Vista approach her, Haruta let out a small smile; peering down the tunnel once more. "We've searched the highs and lows of this... _place_." He muttered through gritted teeth. "But we haven't found him yet. Which means-"

"...He's not here." Finishing her words, Vista found himself mirroring the smile on the brunette's face. "You think he found this tunnel?"

Shrugging, Haruta let out a small sigh. "It's entirely possible- that idiot always had unexplainable luck in situations like this." Suddenly twitching, the brunette frowned before silently glancing to the side.

"...Um-" Finally speaking up, the long-nosed pirate seemingly snapped the two Whitebeard commanders out of their thoughts; instantly bringing their attention towards him. "Thanks, 'ya know for dragging me out- but..." Awkwardly placing the the knocked-out gnome on his shoulder, Usopp made his way over to where the two commanders were standing; his voice becoming squeakier as his shoulders began to shake. "I really must be going now, 'gotta find those dragons and all."

Raising her eyebrow, Haruta stared at the long-nosed pirate; her eyes blinking in thought. "You're looking for a  _dragon_?"

Twitching, Usopp waved his hand as he let out a shaky laugh. "Dragons? Who mentioned dragons?"

"You." Haruta stated blankly.

Twitch.

"He's looking for his friends!" A foreign voice called out, echoing from the long-nosed man's shoulder. "They left us behind and went searching for something in those tunnels!" The cheerful gnome rubbed his eyes rashly, instantly propping himself up on Usopp's shoulder; a grin etched on his lips. "Have you seen anyone pass through here?"

Tilting his head, Vista shook his head, a small laugh leaving his lips. "We haven't seen anyone, it's just been us and Ac-  _our friend_  who's been down here all day."

Sighing, Usopp's shoulders sagged; ignoring the glare the brunette directed at the swordsman.

Shaking her head, Haruta looked back towards the long-nosed liar; her eyebrow lifting for a second. "We're looking for our friend as well." She stated, a small grin growing on her lips. "So you might as well tag along with us. Who knows, we might actually bump into our friend whilst searching for yours."

Blinking, Usopp's eyes widened. "Really, you'd do that?"

Nodding, the brunette quickly looked towards Vista; earning a small nod from him in return. "Sure. It doesn't really affect us if you come or not- it's just that..." She muttered, placing a hand on her chin. "You'll have to keep this a secret!"

"A-A secret?"

"Mhm." Nodding, the brunette turned away from the liar; slowly stepping into the tunnel. "Just keep an open mind when it comes to our...  _friend_ okay? If anyone asks..."

Speaking up, Vista followed after Haruta before turning back to look at Usopp. "This never happened."

"Okay?" Haruta finished, the smirk still etched on her lips.

"..." Nodding hesitantly, Usopp quickly glanced at the small gnome still standing on his shoulder. Seeing the small man nod in return, the sharp-shooter stepped forward; entering the tunnel once more. "S-Sure."

His eyes glazing over, Usopp tilted his head; a question whispering out of his lips. " _Why would I need to keep an open mind? Who could the friend be?_ "

Hearing this, the small gnome's eyes widened. "Maybe their friend is the dragon!"

_Twitch._

* * *

" _It's a pleasure to meet you again, Sabo-san._ "

Blinking, the fire-thrower stared at the blonde who looked easily as surprised as him.

Hearing a small sigh leave Sabo's mouth, Ace chose to look back towards Nico Robin; his eyebrows raised. "...Robin?"

Continuing to smile, the archeologist made her way over towards the green-haired swordsman as he slowly tilted her head. "Yes?" She replied, her smile dropping slightly as her eyes landed onto Ace's.

Twitching at the stare, Ace shifted; directing his eyes to the suddenly very interesting floor. Hearing the Voice chuckle slightly, the fire-thrower glared towards it, ignoring the confusion appearing on Zoro's face.

"Well, it's just- I'm surprised to see you. That's all." Sabo huffed out, his hand making it's way up towards his forehead.

Grunting, Zoro stepped forward as his eyes narrowed straight towards Ace. "Well, that makes something we both have in common _."_

Looking up from the floor, Ace awkwardly lifted up his hands; a small, shaky smile appearing on his lips. "It's been a while... Zoro- isn't it?" Hearing that, the green-haired swordsman turned his stare slowly into a glare; causing for the fire-thrower to twitch.

Crossing his arms, the Voice tilted it's head slightly; it's own eyebrows furrowing. " _He doesn't look to happy to see you._ "

"I figured." Ace whispered back, causing for Zoro to look between the wall and ex-Commander in confusion.

"Zoro?" Sabo questioned out loud, thankfully pushing off the swordsman attention from Ace for a split second. " _Oh_." He mumbled placing his fist in one hand. "You're Roronoa Zoro."

" _Hmph._ " The Voice grunted, it's face looking directly away from the blonde.

With his eyebrow ticking up, Zoro nodded before placing both his hands on his hips. "And you are?" He asked, his temper seemingly running short.

"Ah, yes- I haven't introduced myself yet. I am-" Before Sabo had a chance to finish his words, the swordsman interrupted him; looking back towards the ex-Whitebeard Commander.

"How are you even here?" With his tone brisk and dead, Zoro took a step towards the fire-thrower, causing Ace to step back slightly.

" _Yep, he's definitely not happy to see you_ _._ " The Voice stated, a snort echoing from it's lips.

Glancing in between the Voice and the swordsman, Ace gritted his teeth; his own eyes narrowing towards Zoro. "...I can explain." He started, though the swordsman didn't seem to budge.

"You died in the war." He stated bluntly with a questionable tone, causing for Ace, Sabo and the Voice to twitch simultaneously.

"..." Feeling his mouth go dry, Ace simply shrugged his shoulders; still staring at the swordsman. "I'm just as about confused as you are."

Narrowing his eyebrows in confusion for a split second, the swordsman seemed to scan Ace's appearence before letting out a small sigh. "Well, we found what we were was looking for." Looking away from the fire-thrower, Zoro brought his attention onto Robin as a small scowl formed on his face. "So, what now?"

Hushing Zoro's question almost instantly, the archeologist looked around the room; her eyes blurred.

Catching this, Sabo raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong Robin?"

Not bothering to look towards the blonde, Robin's eyes landed on the door the trio had just passed through. Eyes suddenly widening, she took a step forward, staring intently on the two brothers.

"We need to get out of here, fast."

But before anyone had to chance to question or move, the door was blown instantly off its hinges, revealing a group of marines on the other side.

His eyes widening, Sabo swallowed sharply. "Damn it."


	26. Chapter 26

The sound of heavy footsteps filled the cobbled room, the pirates and revolutionaries inside bracing themselves for the fight they'd have to put up. Instantly looking behind him, Sabo yelled; his words laced in concern. "They're surrounding us! We need to get out of here  _now_."

The rest of the group were unable to respond, as the marines began to charge at them, shouting their commands. "Surrender now Straw-Hat Pirates!"

Slamming his fist into his hand, Ace smirked; sparks flying off his fingers. "I'm no Straw-Hat Pirate, but I'm sure as hell not surrendering." Quickly pulling his hood over his face, the ex-Commander raised off the ground. "I've been itching to have a fight for  _years_."

Her eyebrow raising, Robin briefly glanced towards the fire-thrower. Shaking any thoughts off, she quickly crossed her hands over her chest; preparing for the fight ahead.

Noting this, Zoro brushed his hand over the tips of the swords hanging beside him; his eye locked onto the marines. "Anyone got a plan?"

"Yeah," Sabo spoke, his tone still doubtful. "...But you're probably not gonna like it."

Another boom hit the room, though this time coming from behind the group of pirates. More sounds of footsteps echoed from every corner of the room, bringing the blonde to frown even more.

"Well?!" Buggy screeched, reaching for the knives hidden beneath his cloak.

Seemingly not waiting for a response, the first group of marines charged towards the group; their swords swinging in the air. Blocking their attacks with ease, Zoro glanced over to the blonde; knocking the marines to the ground in one swift move. "What is it?"

" _That's_  our exit." Pointing towards the door at the far-side of the room, Sabo elbowed a Marine from behind; gesturing to the mass of soldiers coming from behind him. "They've found the tunnels, we can't go back in there. By now, they're probably packed with Marines- waiting for us to run into their trap."

"That exit, the one we just came from?!" Buggy exclaimed, his voice breaking. "We've just escaped from there! Now you're expecting us to go back out there?!"

Frowning, Robin glanced towards Buggy. "It seems we don't have any other choice, though..." Whispering under her breath, she looked over to the door. "Wouldn't the Colosseum be the inferior option? From what we saw, it looked like it was the main place the Marines were heading."

Hearing this, Sabo grimaced; though shook his head. "Either way is bad. But..." Smiling, he gestured towards his brother and Zoro. "Would you rather fight in tunnels, or a Colosseum?"

Understanding his point, Robin nodded; cracking the necks of the marines she had in her hold. "The Colosseum it is then."

"S-so our plan is to just fight through them?" Buggy stuttered, snot dropping from his nose.

Throwing fire from his fingertips, Ace's grin grew; the flames eating up the marines standing in the way of the door. "Sounds like it."

Ignoring the high-pitch yelp from the clown, Zoro smirked; placing Wado in his mouth. "I happen to love that plan." Not waiting for the others to follow, the green-haired man took lead, slicing his way through the crowds of marines charging at him.

Watching with a hesistant look still on his face, Sabo sighed.  _It's not going to be easy, considering the vast amount of marines that lay waiting outside, but-_

Looking towards Ace, Sabo smiled; his eyes scanning every feature of the grinning ex-Commander.

"I guess anything can happen."

* * *

Trafalgar Law's day wasn't going to plan.

This didn't particular surprise the ex-Shichibukai, but it certainly didn't sit well with him. Dolflamingo had already defeated and captured him, from what he could remember. For reasons unknown, his memories were blurred and gone, his mind unable to focus on the exact details before the fight. Everything was going wrong, they were spiralling out of control; and all he could do was watch. Watch from the chair he had found himself handcuffed to.

His eyes were glued to the screen in front of him, showing a series of events that shocked the doctor.

_Are those Marines?_

They were everywhere, scurrying around in immense, overwhelming groups all over Dressrosa. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember them being there beforehand; before the exchange of Ceasar and Dolflamingo's status.

_Was that the reason they are here?_

And that wasn't the only thing that surprised Law. The screen lit up with images of a tall Colosseum, spilling with Marines that were battling their way through the crowds to get inside. Was there something important in there?-  _N_ _o_ , there had to be.

The doctor didn't have to question long about what was inside, as the next images that hit the screen; causing Law's eyes to widen.

Battling their way through the crowds of marines were three familiar faces, ones that caused Law to shout out in shock. "...What the hell are they doing there?" Fighting the Marines, was none other than the other members taking part in the drastically failing plan. "Zoro... Robin, what are you doing?" He questioned to himself, confused in seeing Buggy the Clown amongst the group as well.

It wasn't a huge surprise to Law that the Crew he'd traveled with would at some point deter from the original plan, but for this many Marines to be loitering around Dressrosa, all whilst he was chained to a chair hopelessly watching?  _None of this was going well at all._

Shaking his head, Law groaned; his arms instinctively struggling against the sea-stone wrapped around him. Frustrated, he yelled out, unsure if anyone would answer. "Hello?" With only his voice echoing back to him, the doctor gritted his teeth; the reality of his situation slowly setting in. He was sure there was someone in the room with him before, watching him whilst he was semi-conscious. Could it have been Dolflamingo, or one of his lackies? Either way, the doctor didn't want to wait around; his heart beginning to race as he heard footsteps approach the room.

"Yo! Is someone in there?"

Not expecting such a casual remark, Law faltered; his head trying to look over his shoulder towards where the voice was coming from. "In here." He replied calmly, accepting that he'd have better chances of understanding his situation with another persons' input.

"Ah, Law! What are you doing here?" His tone still friendly, the voice stomped over to Law; a defeated old man in hand. "Weren't you meant to be at Green Bit by now?"

Gazing up, the doctor found himself at the familiar sight of the Straw-Hat Crew's shipwright. "Franky?" He questioned, surprised at the unlikely appearance. "What's happened? How long have I been gone?"

"Huh?" The cyborg uttered, lifting up his shades to reveal his raised eyebrows. "Well, well. What have you been doing here this whole time? 'Gonna be honest, I didn't take you as the napping kinda' guy."

"...I wasn't having a nap!" Law shouted back, surprised at his reaction.

Seemingly not believing it, Franky his head shaking with disappointment; gesturing towards the screen in behind him. "Look, I don't blame you. But if the others knew that you were just sitting back watching some screen whilst it's going crazy out there, they'd be pissed. It's not cool, man."

"I told you, I wasn't-"

"Don't worry, I'll keep it secret." Franky interrupted, pointing towards himself with a grin. "This is just between us. Oh," Holding up the battered old-man in his hand, the cyborg winced. "...and this guy."

His eyes widening, Law stuttered; his tone in disbelief. "I-is that Lao G?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Franky let go of the man, ignoring the shudder the building took at he hit the ground. "Ah, so his name is Lao G. That explains this  _super_ shirt, I bumped into him on the way here." Folding his arms, the cyborg continued. "Boy, was he not happy to see me."

"Is anyone else here?" Law questioned, his memories slowly coming back to him.

Sensing the desperation in Law's voice, Franky shook his head. "Not that I know of, this place is pretty deserted. Only came here to avoid the Marines, it seems like they're avoiding this building."

"They're avoiding it?" His eyes furrowing, he let out a small murmur. "That can't be good."

Surprised, Franky glanced back towards Law. "Huh, really?"

"...Yeah." Sighing, the doctor gripped his fists; his teeth gritting. "It can only mean that the Marines and Dolflamingo are still working together. And that would only be possible if-"  _Dolflamingo had lied about quitting the Shichibukai._

Law shivered, his emotions slowly boiling as the realization of his mistake set in. Slamming his fist as high as he could whilst restrained, Law yelled out; surprising Franky. " _Damn_   _it!_ "

"Woah bro, calm down!-  _Hold up_ ,  _have you been handcuffed_ _to that chair?_ " Franky asked confusedly, though his words fell on deaf ears.

"Of course he'd plan something like this." Law whispered out, his eyes shadowed. He'd been played. Everything that he'd been working towards had been pointless, it should have been obvious that Dolflamingo wouldn't give up just like that-  _he should of seen this coming._ "Our plan has failed."

Catching this, Franky smashed the side of the stone; jolting Law from his thoughts. "Nothing's failed yet!" The cyborg yelled out, causing Law to ignore the cracks being formed that slowly freed his arm from the chair. "So what if there's a few Marines hanging around? It's nothing we haven't seen before." Placing his shades back over his eyes, Franky let out a pose; a smirk crawling onto his lips. "Don't put down the ability of our crew just yet!"

Blinking, Law stared at the cyborg, unable to respond.

Continuing, Franky chuckled. "Once our Captain's set his mind to something, there's no getting out of it. So sorry, there's no more time for you to be sitting 'round napping,"

 _Twitch_.

"...Let's go take that flashy bastard down!" Seemingly content with his performance, Franky sent Law a wide grin.

Sighing once more, Law nodded; flexing his fingers as a small smile crept onto his face. "...You're right." Slowly standing up from the chair that he'd been laying on for  _way too long_ , the doctor stretched, his eyes falling onto the screen once more. "I suggest we go join them. They might know more about our current situation. It'll give us a chance to re-group and change our plan."

Letting out a sigh to mirror the doctors, Franky deflated. "Man, you with your plans. Fine, let's go join-  _hey! That's Zoro and Robin_ _!_ "

"You're are quick to notice things." Law murmured to himself, re-adjusting his hat. "They're at the Colosseum."

Nodding, Franky's eyes widened. "I know, I was there today with Luffy."

 _Twitch_. Law groaned. "...And why was that?"  _Don't be surprised, of course he wouldn't follow the plan_.

"Ah, his brother's devil-fruit was being bargained off as a prize there." Franky replied, his tone somber. "I wonder how Zoro and Robin got there though, they're normally pretty good at avoiding trouble."

"And yet the one who attracts the trouble is not there." Law stated, his eyes searching for the familiar rubber-captain. "Oh, it seems like Buggy found his way there too."

Pointing towards the screen, Franky furrowed his eyebrows. "There's two others with them too, the guys in cloaks. Know who they are?"

"No, I don't." Shaking his head, Law turned towards the exit; ignoring the fallen Lao G on the floor. "It doesn't concern me, as long as they're on our side."

"Right." Franky agreed, his eyes locked onto the duo in white. "Let's hope so, it seems like they're pretty strong. It also looks like one of them won the tournament. I hope Luffy's okay with that."

Stopping in his tracks, Law tilted his head; turning towards Franky. "One of them has the Mera Mera no mi?"

Franky nodded, not noticing the confused stare he was receiving from the doctor. "Yeah, seems like he's picking it up pretty well." Passing Lao G, the cyborg joined Law at the exit; pumping himself up for the fight. "'Ya ready?"

His eyes shadowed, Law frowned.  _That shouldn't be possible, not if what I heard was right._

Shaking his head, he gave out a long sigh; nodding towards Franky as he continued exiting the room. "I'm probably mistaken." Law whispered under his breath, hoping that it wouldn't be an issue later on.

* * *

Usopp had always been an incredibly cautious (not frightened, he reminded himself) person in life, in fact-  _it was one of his most notable traits._ But to his dismay, as he was walking through the eerie barren tunnels that were hidden under Dressrosa; he wished he'd been more cautious of who he was traveling with. To say the duo that had saved him were strange, would be an understatement. It wasn't like the long-nosed pirate wasn't used to meeting bizarre people on his adventures, some of them even became his crew-mates. But the two strangers were, to put it mildly,  _unnerving._

Everything had been fine at first. After all agreeing to help find each other's friends, they had set off; silently albeit but determined to find their way out of the tunnels. To fill the silence he'd opted to studying the two strangers, noting down the constant exchanges they gave each other as well as the looming awkwardness in the lack of conversation. He knew something was up, that in the midst of his rescue that he'd interrupted something important.

But he was too cautious to question, so watching them it was.

"...How do you think the others will react?" One of the strangers finally spoke up, the one who'd previous addressed herself as Haruta. Her words were whispered, very obviously only to be heard by her partner. She was fidgeting, (not that Usopp could blame her, these tunnels screamed danger) her mind seemingly elsewhere.

Her top-hatted partner sighed in response, throwing Usopp a quick glance. "Maybe this isn't the time to talk about  _that_."

"And what, there's a better time? Vista, do you realize what's just happened? This changes everything!" She exclaimed, her eyes still frantically searching the different pathways the tunnel took. "This weight that we've been carrying for the last few years, no. The weight that Marco's been c-"

Interrupting her, Vista waved his hand; the girl's enthusiasm clearly not mirrored. "Haruta, enough. It's too early to be saying anything like that."

Blinking, Haruta turned towards the swordsman. "Why aren't you acting to same way, is something wrong?" Before Vista had a chance to reply, she continued. "I mean, I know that we've just lost him,  _again,_ but isn't this something to be elated about? You're not exactly acting like we've just seen someone we thought was dead, it's a big deal."

"It  _is_  a big deal." Vista shot out, a frown etching onto his lips. "But I don't think  _you've_  realized our situation. What's just happened shouldn't have been possible."

"I know that," Haruta uttered, her words sounding un-convinced. "...but as I said earlier. You didn't see the condition his grave was in. The moment I saw it I thought-"

"-that he was alive?" Interrupting once again, the swordsman shook his head; slowly forgetting the soft tone the duo were previously speaking in. "When was the last time you heard of someone who's been confirmed  _dead for two years_ , crawl out of their own grave in perfect health. Are you not even slightly suspicious of his story? I mean the chances of us bumping into him here, with the tournament on, it all just seems so-" His words failing him, Vista gripped his fist; refusing to look his partner in the eye.

Silently walking behind, Usopp had a feeling the duo had forgotten he was there. Gulping, the sharpshooter tried his best to not audibly react to what they were saying; his mind running wild with the information he'd just overheard.

 _...Who had crawled out of their grave?_  Wait, nope. He didn't want the answer to that.

Glancing down to the small Gnome that was currently resting in his pocket, he was met with mirrored concern that was filling his eyes. Swallowing hard, Usopp shook his head; trying hard to keep his presence down.

"All I'm saying," The man picked up again, catching the attention of his partner who'd been suspiciously quiet in his response. "Is that we shouldn't trust him, just for now. The only thing worse than this not being what we think it is, is having Marco and the others believing in this so-called miracle."

"Then what?" Haruta finally said, her eyes glancing towards Vista. "What else could this be? 'Cause from what I see, he's just as confused as us. I doubt he's some zombie controlled by some evil mastermind-  _you've just been reading too many horror stories_."

 _Z-zombies?_  Usopp shuddered, the memories of Thriller Bark racing back to mind. He'd already had his fair share of experiences with zombies. He was in no rush to repeat that again, he'd take finding a dragon any day.

Letting out a sad laugh, the swordsman shook his head. "It's not like that."

Placing her hands on her hips, Haruta nodded; a pout forming on her lips. "Yes it is. too much. Can we just," She faltered. "...for one minute be happy about this?"

"I'm trying." Visa said, another sigh escaping his lips. "I want nothing more than for this to be alright. There's just too many questions unanswered to start celebrating just yet. Not to mention," Pausing, the swordsman examined a passage to the left of him. "-was it just me, or was he talking to himself back there?"

"You noticed that?" Haruta replied, her tone surprised. "It totally freaked me out, though I was too distracted to say anything."

 _Should I just leave?_  Usopp pondered to himself, ultimately deciding that he'd been completely forgotten about. He didn't have enough courage-  _no_ ,  _no he was just cautious_ \- to dare interrupt them during their chat. But after listening to the discussion, he'd concluded that; getting away from these two seemed like the safest option. He planned just to step away, lose himself in one of the many passageways and hope for the best that he'd bump into Zoro down there.

However, the Gnome in his pocket had other plans.

"Do you guys even know where you're going?" It yelled out, causing for the strolling duo in front to pause in their steps; their eyes widening as they turned to meet Usopp.

Smothering the Gnome's mouth with his finger, Usopp yelped; his hand frantically trying to cover the source of the noise. "S-Shut up!" He stammered out, flailing as the Gnome fought back.

"H-hey what are you doing?!" It screamed, squirming in the sharpshooter's hands.

"Damn," Haruta whispered out, her eyes blinking rapidly. "I forgot about him." Turning to her partner, she winced. "Think he heard everything?"

Mirroring the awkward wince, Vista gritted his teeth. "I think so. Though thankfully," Letting another laugh out, the swordsman approached Usopp; smacking him swiftly on the back. "It's not like we said anything damning, right?"

Yelping once more, Usopp fell back; letting the Gnome fall to the floor. "No. Nothing. I'm basically deaf, can't hear a word!" Laughing weakly, the sharpshooter sent Vista a smile, relieved to see a nod in response.

"...Sure." Haruta uttered, leaning down to pick up the creature which was squirming on the floor. Her eyes studying intensely, her eyebrow raised. "What even are you?"

Shaking off his fall, the Gnome stood up on the girl's palm; sending her a cheerful smile. "I'm a dwarf from the Tontatta tribe. The name's Flapper, it's nice to meet you! Are you zombies?"

Ignoring the last part, Haruta pondered. "The Tontatta tribe? I've heard stories about them. Never actually thought there was any truth to them."

Forgetting his fear for a moment, Usopp straightened up; glancing towards the Gnome-  _no wait, it's a dwarf_. "Your name is Flapper?" He questioned, his tone surprised.

"Yep!" Flapper exclaimed, sending a thumbs-up to the sharpshooter. "And it's a pleasure to be in the presence of someone like you, the Great Usoland!"

Raising an eyebrow, Haruta glanced towards Usopp. "...The Great Usoland?"

Shaking his hands, Usopp sweat-dropped; a grin subconsciously making it's way across his lips. "Ah, pay no mind to that. Just something my followers call me." He claimed, unable to stop digging a hole for himself.

"Followers?" Vista questioned, starting to walk once more. "You famous or something?"

Gulping, Usopp refused to look towards the grinning Tontatta, instead opting to look at the ground. "N-not quite. I'm part of a crew." Mumbling his words, the sharpshooter shook his word, trying to regain his composure. "A pirate crew. The Straw-Hat pirates."

_Why can't I just keep my mouth shut for once?_

Placing the Tontatta in her pocket for safety, Haruta looked up; a surprised look crossing her face. "The Straw-Hat pirates?" Instantly sending a glance to Vista, she continued. "Is your captain here in Dressrosa?"

"Y-yeah." Usopp answered, unsure about how much to say. "You know Luffy?"

Shaking her head, Haruta started pacing forward; her head turning away from Usopp. "No, just curious."

It was obvious from her tone that there was more to it than that, but Usopp decided that going off the previous conversation he overheard; he'd best leave it. After-all, Luffy was strong and crazy enough to match these people, he had as much faith in that as he did in own lies. Thinking back, Usopp smiled; the reminder in Luffy's faith in them as a crew regaining some courage in his venture.

And as if fate was listening in to Usopp's thoughts, Vista yelled out; alerting the brunette and liar. "I think I see something!"

Both quickly rushed over towards Vista, their hopes of escaping the tunnels raising as their eyes locked onto the light beaming from a crack in the ceiling.

"Finally!" Running her hands over the break in the wall, Haruta jumped up; her eyes meeting Vista's. "Think we can break our way through here?"

Usopp glanced towards Vista, waiting for a reply. Though to his surprise, the swordsman didn't match the brunette's enthusiasm; seemingly troubled by something.

"Wait." He ordered, pushing Haruta back from the wall. "Something's up." Ignoring the confused replies from his partner, the swordsman peeked through the crack. "...What the?" He mumbled, his head cocking to the side.

Before he had a chance to question, Usopp jolted; a loud screaming echoing down the tunnel. Though to the sharpshooter's dismay, it wasn't coming from the passageways.  _No, they're coming from-_

Pressing his head against the wall the crack was situated on, Usopp's eyes widened. "T-the scream came from the other side of this wall, there's more of them." Usopp exclaimed, glancing towards Vista for answers.

"What? What's happening?" Haruta question, looking everywhere for the source of the noise.

Pushing his eyes away from the crack, the swordsman gulped; twiddling with his mustache nervously. "I think it might be safer to stay on this side of the wall for now." He claimed, a shocked look crossing his eyes. "It's teeming with Marines out there, the streets are filled with them."

"Huh?" Usopp yelped, confused at what the swordsman was claiming. "The Marines are here?!"

Stunned by this, Haruta stepped back. "What are they doing here? I thought Dressrosa was protected by that Shichibukai guy."

Gulping, the sharpshooter turned towards the brunette. "You mean Dolflamingo?" Seeing a nod in return, Usopp placed a hand at the back of his head; a nervous smiling appearing on his face. "Yeah, about that. He kinda resigned today. Not that we had anything to do with it, aha."

"Damn it." Vista uttered. "That was unexpected. Finding our friends might not be the hardest thing we have to do today."

"Yeah," Haruta mumbled, turning towards the pathway beside the cracked wall. "...this makes finding them as quickly as possible all the more important. We need to find a different way out of here. Look over there." Raising her hand, the brunette pointed to the stairway which to Usopp's disappointment; was near enough destroyed. "What about those?"

Sighing, the swordsman examined the stairs; an uncertain looks crossing his eyes. "They don't look the safest, but-"

"...we don't have another choice, do we?" Haruta finished, glancing towards Usopp for agreement.

Reluctantly, the liar nodded.  _So much for being cautious._

* * *

"So, just to be sure. You both don't have  _any_  clue where your crews are right now?"

Seeing a synchronized nod from the two pirate captains, Koala gave out a heavy sigh. This was going to be a lot more work than she had first anticipated. She hadn't thought two well-respected captains of crews such as the Whitebeard Pirates and Straw-Hat Pirates would be that careless in leaving their crew to wander, but here she was. Seeing just that.

"Well, I know for sure that they're in Dressrosa." Luffy chimed in, giving the impression that'd help Koala.

_It did not._

Leaning on the wall, Marco looked away from Koala; noticing the irritation coming off the revolutionary. "The last time I saw my crew stationed at the East Dock. They've definitely moved from there by now, most likely towards the outskirts of Balsa. Though I can't say for sure."

Waving her pen in the air, Koala let out a sigh. "Yes! That's what I wanted to hear. At least it's something." Scribbling down a cross on her notebook, the revolutionary groaned; the lack of information voiding her plan. " _If only we knew where their main plan of attack was._ "

"You said that our crews were in danger, right? So let's go already!" Luffy exclaimed, bouncing around; unable to stick to one spot.

Ignoring the rubber-captain, Koala continued to mumble to herself. "If it had been the Colosseum, then there's no way we would've escaped so easily." Clicking her fingers, she once more glanced towards the blonde. "Wait, if you're not sure on where your ship is docked, how'd you normally find out?"

"Normally? I would have a transponder snail on me." Marco replied.

Smiling, Koala jumped up from the ground. "Great! Why didn't you tell me earlier you had one on you?"

Frowning, the blonde shifted. "Because I don't. I left without one this morning."

_Twitch._

Falling to the ground, the bob-hatted girl gripped her face in frustration; her emotions getting the better of her. "Of course you did." She wailed out, closing her notebook. "That's fine, we'll just have to improvise on our getaway."

"Improvise?" Marco questioned, his eyebrow raising. "That doesn't sound great."

Sending him a dirty glare, Koala pouted. "Yeah, well I said the same thing about this entire scheme. Turns out Sabo doesn't like to be told his plans suck."

Luffy halted from his bouncing, a certain name catching his attention. "Huh? Sabo?" Darting over to where Koala was kneeling, the rubber-captain peered over her shoulder; leaning in closer to made sure he had heard right. "What did you say?"

Noticing her fumble, Koala etched away from the teen, a hand covering her mouth.  _Oops._

From what she gathered from Sabo's feeling towards his brother, she was pretty sure he didn't want her to spill the fact that he was alive to the teen until it was assured that everyone was safe. To her annoyance, the blonde was far too worried about Luffy's reaction.

_I'm guessing stupid runs in the family._

"Wait, do you hear that?" Marco questioned, bringing Koala out from her thoughts. Though the revolutionary didn't have to listen out for long.

Within seconds of his question, the stairway's roof began to quake; bringing Koala to her feet with the Straw-Hat captain covering in front of her. "Someone's coming." Luffy stated, gripping his fists.

Before Koala had anytime to prepare, an immense thud rocked the building. Glancing up, the revolutionary winced; stunned at the crack that was slowly appearing through the ceiling. Marco instantly kicked the two teens to the side, narrowly avoiding the blocks of cement that fell to the ground without warning. Grabbing Koala, Luffy extended his stomach, crashing into the side softly.

"...It's you." The rubber-captain muttered, wiping the dust from his mouth. Following his gaze, Koala peered up to the ceiling; her heart dropping at who she saw.

A figure slowly appeared standing on the outside of the building, harboring a terrorizing smirk with an outfit that'd were recognizable throughout the world. "Straw-Hat." He started, his voice calling out tauntingly. "...I sensed you hadn't wandered far."

Staring back at the trio, stood the former Shichibukai dressed in pink feathers and shades;  _Dolflamingo._


End file.
